


Escape

by drfrankensara



Category: Brave (2012), How to Train Your Dragon (2010), Rise of The Brave Tangled Dragons - Fandom, Rise of the Guardians (2012), Tangled (2010)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-11
Updated: 2014-01-07
Packaged: 2017-12-19 03:35:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 50
Words: 72,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/878959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/drfrankensara/pseuds/drfrankensara
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>BIG FOUR HIGH SCHOOL AU: A jock, a nerd, a loner, and a homeschool kid end up trapped in a basement together at a back-to-school party gone horribly wrong. The tagline of our lives. And that’s only the beginning.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Rapunzel had gotten very good at sneaking out of the house. It was all a matter of knowing Gothel’s patterns; and she certainly had many of them. Her mornings were spent agonizing over her own appearance, primping and gushing over the fit body in the mirror. She’d spend hours on her hair, makeup, clothes, only to rip it all away and make for the gym to work with a personal trainer that would, inevitably only primp and gush over her fit body more. She’d spend her day lavishing in the admiration of other people and then she’d come home, make dinner (one of her few redeeming attributes as a mother), and then make her way to bed for a very long and very deep beauty sleep. Rapunzel was expected to keep up with her many accomplishments on her own. Most of her arsenal of skills were self taught.

Of course, these skills included her powers of evasion. She’d been honing them for quite some time, relishing in little victories. A short walk across their substantial property. A casual visit to the gas station down the road. Whole days spent creeping about their little downtown relentlessly hiding from her own mother.

The biggest was the day she found the local high school. It was empty when she found it, bathed in the light of a relentless summer sun. She’d explored the grounds, taking in ghost-like basketball courts and a worn-down football stadium. She’d crept in through an open door and explored open lockers, smoke-stained bathrooms, and barren classrooms. It wasn’t until she heard the echo of janitors with steam cleaners that she took off again for home.

Ever since then, however, she’d been entranced.

The summer was at an end and through a series of careful eavesdropping (okay, less eavesdropping and more of Rapunzel barging in on private conversations), she’d discovered that one of the high school students (a senior as she should have been) was hosting a party and everyone who was anyone was going to be there. And god did Rapunzel want to be someone.

She’d tried asking her mother for such visits before. There had been quite a tussle when Rapunzel should have been old enough to start high school. But Gothel had been adamant that high school was much too cruel a place for a girl as plain and ordinary as Rapunzel. The kids there would tear her apart. Of course, on the contrary, everyone Rapunzel had met thus far had been polite and courteous to her. Not that they’d stuck around to talk to her for very long, but none of them had been as cruel as Gothel made them out to be.

So, no, Rapunzel would not be asking Gothel for permission on her quest to fraternize with her peers. Instead she was going to sneak out like a thief in the night. After Gothel had settled down at a comfortable 11 PM for her clockwork beauty sleep, Rapunzel threw a careful rope of bedsheets out her window and descended into the dark ether of a balmy summer night.

Her only solace in her isolation was a deep personal connection with WiFi. Gothel had at least given Rapunzel a functional laptop with which she was able to cultivate many meaningful relationships with wonderful people around the world. Of course, it was an excellent source for her many skills and vast knowledge, but in this particular situation she was grateful to it for it’s Google Maps capabilities. She was still learning the layout of her hometown, despite having lived there her entire life.

She footed it off she and her mother’s extensive wooded property to the main road. She was dressed prettily but casually in a pink dress she’d made herself and a pair of ill-fitted sandals Gothel had bought her. Her long blonde hair fell to her waist, ethereal as ever.

The walk to the party wasn’t long. Evidently it was being held but some girl named Jasmine. Her father was wealthy and they clearly had it made. Gothel held a decent home but it was nothing compared to Jasmine’s McMansion. Music pounded for miles up to the house and students spilled out and onto expansive lawns as Rapunzel approached. She spotted people she’d never seen before laughing and singing and dancing and drinking and while she knew these were things that happened all the time, she’d never been a part of it.

A thrill ran up her spine as she entered the mansion through a wide open front door.

The music pounded rhythm into her skin. It stirred at her hair. The heat of it filled her to the core and bubbles of sweat broke out on her forehead and neck. Teenagers laughed and danced through the entryway. Not a one of them stopped to acknowledge her presence. They were all caught up in themselves, dancing, kissing, laughing.

A busty girl in vibrant silks passed by with a tray of short glasses filled with clear liquid, like water. She paused before Rapunzel, a curious smile on her face. “You need a drink?" She called over the hum of the beat. Rapunzel blinked, surprised at being addressed, but didn’t question the shot before her.

"Sure, thank you." She replied, taking one of the small glasses. The girl smiled and left her to her own devices.

Rapunzel took a sip.

And spit it out. What she had thought was water was bitter and foul and left a sour taste in her mouth. Her mind filtered through books and various google searches. Vodka. She’d just had her first taste of vodka. She couldn’t say she was a fan.

Rapunzel waffled, glancing around to find a place to leave her drink; she wouldn’t be needing it again. If she was going to experience this night she was going to experience it sober. She wanted to remember every detail. She spotted a table and set the shot there beside a couple that was making out rather heavily in the entryway. Rapunzel gave them a small smile before passing further into the fray.

She emerged into the kitchen where a crowd of boys was participating in a rousing game of beer pong. A few stood by the sidelines, an unofficial cheer squad. One of them noticed Rapunzel watching. He was a lanky boy with big ears and a small nose. He sized her up, a confused brow quirking at the newcomer.

"You new here?" He asked loudly, leaning towards her.

Rapunzel jumped, shock coloring her cheeks. “Uh, yeah. Yeah. I heard… About… About the party. Thought I’d check it out."

A smile cracked along the boy’s face. “Ah, cool. I’m East." He held out a hand for her to shake.

She grinned, giving him a firm shake in response. “Rapunzel."

He laughed. “Weird name."

She chuckled shyly. “Mom’s a hippie I guess."

East laughed in response and glanced around. “You want a tour? I can introduce you to some cool people, if you like."

Rapunzel beamed. “Yes, that’d be great!" She learned very quickly that East Bunnymund was a rather friendly guy. He chatted with a variety of different groups though he mostly preferred people of the athletic variety. He introduced her to Eric, the quarterback, John, Al, and Arthur, all members of the football team. He also attempted to introduce her to Meg, the captain of the cheerleading squad but she seemed rather intent on texting someone who was clearly not at the party. East didn’t bring it up, but Rapunzel got the feeling it was a touchy subject.

He gave her a brief tour of the house and pointed out certain people who belonged to particular cliques. He asked her what kind of girl she was: the cheer type, the smart type, the artsy type. Rapunzel had to admit that she didn’t really know.

East chuckled. “No big deal. High school is about finding ourselves, am I right? So, listen, you need a drink or anything?"

Rapunzel laughed and shook her head. “No, thank you though. You should get back to your friends. I want to explore anyway."

"You sure?"

She nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah. I’m going to go find myself."

He snickered an assent. “Okay. I’ll see you later I guess. Good luck."

"Thanks for all your help, East."

He winked at her. “No problem, gorgeous."

And once again Rapunzel was left to her own devices. She hadn’t lied. She did want to explore and hopefully meet a few new people. Indeed, there were a lot of people here. She’d read a lot about schools that were terribly divided. Cliques didn’t mix. This party didn’t seem so divided. Sure, people kept to their groups but they were all still HERE were’t they? Rapunzel was beginning to think her mother a liar more and more.

She wandered into the basement where a group of kids were glued to a massive television screen. A video game was pulled up, something with flying and planes. Most of the kids were boys. All of them smaller and less intimidating than the ones she’d met upstairs. A set of french doors opened out onto the lawns where a bunch of teenagers appeared to be playing some sort of truth or dare game. A good portion of them were only partially clothed.

"I hate this game." A boy in glasses finally pronounced, tossing his controller to the floor.

"That’s because you suck at it." A brunette boy replied with a chuckle.

"Yeah, well if we’d been playing Heroes of Atlantis we wouldn’t be having this conversation."

"You keep telling yourself that." The brunette snapped with a self-satisfied smirk. Rapunzel couldn’t escape the giggle that slipped from her lips. Glasses boy shot an annoyed look back at her.

"Who—" Before he could lash out, the spike of police sirens filled the air. The students in the room collectively paled. It was as if all the oxygen had been sucked into a vacuum, leaving nothing left for them to breathe. Rapunzel felt her own world dilate to a single point. She saw herself in a jail cell. She saw herself being forced to call her mother to pick her up. She saw bars on her window and a high tech security system that could watch her every move.

She was frozen with fear of the possibilities.

Everyone else, however, was not. They all launched into the air, making for the lawns. Running, sprinting, disappearing into the darkness of the forest. Students fell and were near trampled in their attempt to escape. Rapunzel, however, was lost. She heard the angry footsteps above, the screams and cries of ruined reputations.

She did the only thing she could think of. She ducked through a door into the dark and seemingly empty garage and hid in the silence. She heard the lock click behind her.

"Well shit." A voice echoed in the darkness. A spark of flame lit a gaggle of faces. A pale boy she’d never seen with a shock of white hair. A redhead she thought she’d spotted out on the lawns with the truth or dare game. And the brunette boy from the video games. “Congratulations girly. You shut the door. Now we’re bloody locked in here." The redhead said at last, lighting a cigarette.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A jock, a nerd, a loner, and a homeschool kid end up trapped in a basement together at a back-to-school party gone horribly wrong. The tagline of our lives. And that’s only the beginning.

Jack knew coming to this party was a bad idea.

The sound of the music cut off from the floor above and the four of them were plunged into silence. The light from the girl’s cigarette was nothing but a faint glow. He had half a mind to tell her to spark her lighter again but he didn’t want to catch the attention of the cops. If they were really lucky the officers wouldn’t explore the house and he’d get off scott free. If North knew he’d gotten caught at a party like this he would be rather disappointed.

In his defense, it wasn’t his idea. Sandy had convinced him to go. The mute boy had a way of getting what he wanted. He’d had a crush on this girl Aurora for years anyway; the least Jack could do was play wingman for the stout boy.

Of course, Jack hadn’t anticipated that being wingman would go so well. They hadn’t been at the party for longer than an hour or so before Sandy hit it off with Aurora and he politely dismissed Jack to enjoy himself. Jack couldn’t help but wonder if Sandy had conned him into coming on purpose: it was made pretty clear that Sandy didn’t really need that much help wooing the beautiful Aurora. He was always trying to get Jack to socialize more: this coming from the boy who couldn’t speak. Jack noted the irony with a sour taste in his mouth.

Jack heard the sound of a jiggling knob. A light gasp of shock in the darkness. “We’re locked in.” A girl’s voice. He presumed it was the blonde who’d entered only moments before.

"Isn’t that what I said, girly? Bloody daft, this one." Merida. The redhead archery star. Jack huffed a wiff of smoke from her cigarette and held back a painful cough.

"Hey, Merida. Be cool. She didn’t know." Hiccup. Jack had a few classes with the kid in the past but they’d never spoken.

"If I’m stuck in here all night it’ll be her fault."

"Actually, I think it will technically be your fault. You were already in here when I got in." Hiccup notes sagely. Jack could almost hear the smile in his voice. He privately thought that he quite liked this kid.

"It was a dare…" Merida noted, a sliver of nervousness apparent in her voice. He could feel her eyes on him. A dare indeed. He and Merida had been sentenced to a round of seven minutes in heaven in the garage (or, rather, the more grown up version of it to say the least); nothing had happened largely because they’d been debating about ways to get out of the garage that apparently was locked on the inside. Jack shifted uncomfortably in the darkness. How he’d allowed himself to get roped into truth or dare will always be a mystery to him.

"You know smoking is really bad for you, right?" The blonde from across the room.

Merida huffed next to him. “What? Oh, well, I guess I ought to snuff this out then, yeah?” Sarcasm. Jack had never seen the blonde girl before but he felt rather bad for Merida’s irritable treatment. In middle school Merida had always been a rather fun girl to be around. Lately she seemed to flare at the slightest irritation. Jack couldn’t help but wonder why.

"Your accent. It’s interesting. Are you from Scotland?" A beat.

"Yeah. That’s good, blondie. Most people guess Ireland or some weird cockney thing. Bloody Americans don’t know a Scottish person from a terrier." There was a light amusement to her voice and Jack was briefly reminded of a girl who liked telling jokes and stories rather than shutting her mouth to hail to the opinions of others.

"Are you comparing yourself to a dog?" Jack finally spoke, hiding a snicker in the darkness. He heard a playful laugh from the blonde girl across the room.

"Ha ha, you’re a bright riot Jack Frost." Despite the hint of derision, Jack could hear the smile in Merida’s voice.

"So what’s your name? I don’t think I’ve seen you around school before. Not that I can really see you now." Jack finally asked, turning his attention to the newcomer. His eyes were beginning to adjust to the darkness and he could just make out her slender form by the doorway.

"Rapunzel." She answered simply. "I… I’m new, I guess." The words left her tongue like an incomplete thought. Something about them rang false but Jack had learned long ago not to press things too far.

"Nice to meet you, Rapunzel. Jack Frost. And the girl smoking up the place is Merida Dunbroch."

"And I’m Jay Haddock. Though my friends call me Hiccup. Did you just move here?"

"Yeah! I did. From… New York. Yeah." Again, a falsehood, it seemed like. Rehearsed. He didn’t know what this Rapunzel had to lie about but he understood the feeling. He had things he wanted to hide.

"Welcome to Hell, then, Rapunzel. I myself moved here five years ago and have regretted it ever since. Not to say Scotland is much worse off though I suppose New York is a much more exciting place than this is." Merida commented. She tossed her dwindling cigarette to the concrete floor and snuffed it with her boot.

"I don’t know. I like it here. It’s full of… Life." Rapunzel’s words were still incomplete but this at least didn’t seem like a lie. There was something nostalgic in her tone, like this weird little gathering was a balm for some long term pain. "How long do you think we’ll be stuck in here?" 

Hiccup shrugged, beginning to inspect the tools and boxes around them. Jack noted his calculating expression, like he was working a way out of the room as they spoke. “I guess it depends on how long the cops are here.” The small brunette boy made his way to the garage door and plopped down on all fours, staring between the tiny crack in the concrete and the door. Jack now noticed the tiny sliver of flashing red and blue lights. The house was relatively quiet, but they wouldn’t be escaping any time soon. “Do you guys hear anything?” 

They went silent. A few footsteps and some quiet chattering, but it didn’t seem like the SWAT team would be making an appearance to bust down the door. Jack reasoned the cops were probably giving their gracious host a stern talking too. And knowing the local cops it could be a while. 

"I hope they don’t find us. If my mum finds out I came to this party she’ll skin me alive." Merida said defeatedly, running her hand through a tangle of unruly red hair. 

"Understatement of the century." Rapunzel whispered, settling in across from Merida. Instead of irritation there was real fear in her voice. 

"My dad practically forced me to come to this thing. Anything to make me a real man. He’d probably take getting arrested as a testament of my blossoming manliness." Hiccup chuckled, shaking his head. 

"In a real spot then aren’t you?" Merida commented sarcastically. 

"What about you, Jack?" Rapunzel asked. He was mildly surprised at being addressed. Unless he spoke, it seemed like when he was around other people he had a tendency to disappear into the background. Invisible. A wallflower. He wasn’t really sure why. So much of his life after moving in with North had been spent observing other people. He still hadn’t quite figured out his place among his peers yet. 

"I’m not too worried. Even if they do find us it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve gotten picked up by the police." 

"Did you ever get charged for that ice cube thing?" Merida asked curiously. Jack laughed lightly and shook his head. 

"Nope. Couldn’t prove it." 

"Ice cube thing?" Rapunzel asked, her brow pulling together in confusion. 

"Last year for finals week Jack filled the entire swimming pool with ice cubes. It took a week for all the ice to melt." Hiccup answered with a tone of pride. Jack couldn’t help the cocky smile that came to his lips. Perhaps he wasn’t so good with people but he was very good at pulling pranks. Even the swim coaches had a private chuckle at his work. Jack was a very good observer, after all. 

"That’s crazy! Where did you get all the ice?" Rapunzel inquired, a smile broadening on her lips. 

"Ah, a good prankster never reveals his secrets." 

Merida snorted. “You’re as bad as my little brothers.” 

Before Jack could formulate a response there was a commotion from above. Some violent wailing. Footsteps. The muffled sound of a bullhorn. The cops were coming down the basement steps. The group of them fell deadly silent, each of them holding their breath. Light from the crack under the door flickered and fell as the officers passed in front of the doorway. There were voices and shouts but none of them moved. For several minutes the officers explored the basement but none came to peek into the garage. While Jack had dealt with the law before he wasn’t keen on doing it again. North had higher standards for him than Jack had for himself. He tried very hard to live up to those standards. He didn’t always do so well. 

Finally the footsteps faded back upstairs and the four of them collectively let out a sigh of relief. “I think I popped a blood vessel.” Jack commented quietly. Rapunzel giggled but stifled it quickly. They were all much more nervous than they let on. 

"Okay, well, now that our impending doom isn’t hanging over our heads, how are we going to get out of here?" Hiccup posited an important question. How were they going to get out of this clearly locked garage? 

Rapunzel piped up. “Have any of you tried the garage door opener?” 

Silence. 

"We are bloody fucking idiots." They all stifled a breathless laugh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I totally dropped the ball posting chapters every Thursday. It occurs to me I can queue them so I'm gonna go ahead and do that. I'll post a few extra chapters though to make up for my failed attempt at keeping to a schedule. XD


	3. Chapter 3

Hiccup wasn’t really sure how long they’d been in the garage.

They’d tried the garage door opener only to discover that it was controlled by a very complex security system that inevitably required a code to do anything. A code which none of them had. The downside of going to a rich girl’s party was that her house was basically fortified against the apocalypse.

For a very long time after the cops had gone the four of them had called for help but no one had answered. The house was big and many of the walls were virtually soundproof. There was a good chance that even if Jasmine was home she was in a place in the house where she couldn’t hear them yelling. Hiccup had pretty much resigned himself to defeat.

Rapunzel, apparently, had not.

He, Merida, and Jack lounged on the garage floor playing games on their cell phones. Service was so horrible that he’d had to put his phone on airplane mode so it wouldn’t die, but at least he could still play Angry Birds to pass the time. Rapunzel, however, paced the floor like a hungry cat, her long blonde hair swinging back and forth. It was a wonder that it didn’t get caught in something. Her hair settled to a stop just past her waist and Hiccup couldn’t help wondering if it wasn’t a little impractical.

"You’re making me nervous, blondie." Jack muttered, a ghost of a smile on his mischievous lips. His blue eyes followed the small blonde back and forth as she paced the floor.

Rapunzel stopped pacing, her eyes darting from one face to the next. “I’m sorry! I’m just trying to think of a way to get out of here. If my mom finds out I sneaked out I don’t know what I’ll do… What she’ll do… This will destroy her I just know it.” She sunk to the floor, her whole body deflating. Hiccup got the impression that she was a naturally bubbly person. The way she deflated was a little disconcerting.

"Hey, I wouldn’t worry about it. I’m sure Jasmine or her parents will find us by the morning. We’re not going to be stuck in here forever." Hiccup supplied reassuringly, tucking his cellphone in his pocket. He wasn’t very good at Angry Birds anyway.

"No! You don’t understand! She’ll be crushed that I lied to her. Well, I didn’t lie to her explicitly but I lied by omission you know and I’ve just—I’ve got to get home before she wakes up or she’ll know I was gone!" Rapunzel buried her face in her hands. She was trembling fiercely and suddenly it seemed like a weight hit the rest of them. This girl was seriously scared and Hiccup, for the life of him, couldn’t figure out why.

"Lass, it’s just a party. Sure, your mum’ll be mad but it’s not the end of the world, right?" Merida stated, finally resurfacing from her own phone. She set it down on the concrete floor, leveling a concerned look at the small blonde.

Rapunzel wavered, eyes locking with Merida’s. “I guess you’re right.” She seemed to consider the thought a moment before standing again and beginning to pace. After a second she whirled on them again. “But it’s different, okay. She’s… I’m… I shouldn’t even be here I don’t belong here and she’s going to be furious because I’m never supposed to leave the house—never! Do you understand?”

The three of them looked up at Rapunzel slack jawed and eyes wide. “I’m afraid I don’t.” Merida spoke.

Rapunzel’s eyes widened. Hiccup realized that she’d said too much. There was a secret in those words they weren’t supposed to know. Her lips trembled and she covered her face with her hands. She turned from them and her curtain of hair fell around her face.

"Rapunzel, what’s wrong?" Jack asked evenly. He stood up as if he wanted to cross the room and comfort her but didn’t dare try.

"I’m sorry." Her voice came out a squeak. "I shouldn’t have come to this party. It was a bad idea. I just… I wanted to get to know other people, for once."

Hiccup could feel the gears turning in his head. “You’re not from New York, are you Rapunzel?” Jack and Merida turned confused looks to him. They hadn’t yet figured out that something was very wrong with the girl Rapunzel.

She peeked at him through her curtain of hair, large green eyes uncertain and wavering. She nodded her head: just the slightest of nods, a nervous confirmation. “I’ve lived in this town my whole life.” She replied evenly, turning to look at them and holding a long bundle of her hair in one fist.

"Then why have we never met?" Jack asked, confusion rippling across his pale face.

"I’ve been homeschooled my whole life. My mother… Well, my mother doesn’t like it when I leave the house. I’ve asked her many times—so, so many times, but she always gets very upset. I started sneaking out a couple of months ago and I’ve never been caught. If she finds out I’ve been lying to her this whole time… It’ll tear her apart." Rapunzel wrapped her arms around herself, looking at the ground.

"Wait, so you’re homeschooled? You’re not like one of those Jesus freak kids right? Am I gonna get saved?" Merida asked, genuine curiosity in her words. Hiccup shook his head. 

"What? No. My mother is… Well, my mother is very overprotective." Rapunzel replied. 

"Good because Carrie was a really traumatic movie for me as a kid." The redhead replied, picking up her cellphone and stuffing it in her pocket. 

"Merida. Please be serious." Hiccup reprimanded, standing next to Jack and brushing himself off. 

"I am." Merida snapped, her brow pulling together. She stood, taking a measuring step toward the clearly fragile Rapunzel. "I’m sorry. Sometimes I don’t think before I speak." 

"No, you’re fine. It’s my fault. I should never have come. When I finally do get out of here I don’t know what will be waiting for me when I get home." She ran her fingers through her blonde locks and leaned against the door into the house. She looked on the verge of tears though none fell. 

Hiccup glanced around the room, his eyes calculating. He was a smart kid. A straight A student with a tendency for jimmying his way out of a lot of tough situations. If there was ever a time for him to reveal his arsenal of closeted superpowers, now would be it. “No. You know what, you don’t have anything to worry about. You’re going to get home before your mother has any idea you were gone.” He stated steadily, his eyes roving around the room, taking stock of his surroundings. 

"What do you mean?" The green-eyed girl looked up at him in surprise. 

"I mean I’m gonna get you out of here. Though it’s a bit crazy and I’m gonna need your help." He turned probing eyes to Merida and Jack, giving them heavy looks. Merida looked a bit uncertain but Jack merely nodded his assent. 

"What’s the plan?" Jack asked. The taller boy was quick on the draw and he already knew he was smart: maybe not Hiccup smart but the pale boy had filled an entire swimming pool with ice cubes so he had to have a few tricks up his sleeve. He’d heard a lot of nasty rumors about Jack Frost but, given that this was the longest time they’d ever spent together, Hiccup failed to see any validity behind those rumors. 

"We’ll need a lot of gardening tools and a lot of upper body strength. But if we do it right all of us might get out of here before any cops show up." 

Okay, so yeah, Hiccup’s plan was a lot crazier and a lot stupider when he said it out loud but no one really argued. Rapunzel seemed absolutely thrilled at the idea. She seemed to think it all rather MacGyver. She wouldn’t have been wrong. The four of them gathered a shovel from the wall, a wrench from the toolbox, a sawhorse, and positioned a ladder under the garage door sliders. Hiccup took the wrench and sat at the top of the ladder and began loosening the bolts holding the sliders in place. 

He spent several minutes taking apart the garage door from the inside out. He’d occasionally prompt the other three for tools or a spare hand, but otherwise he was utterly focused: completely in his element. Machines made perfect sense to him. Even if some people often did not. His father for instance. 

"Okay. Finished. The door should be movable now. Granted, that garage door opener will probably never work again, but deconstruction is usually a lot easier than reconstruction so what can you do." Hiccup ranted, coming down from the ladder and laying his tools back on the toolbench. "Now all we need is some pure undiluted man power." He flexed nonexistent muscles. Merida and Rapunzel giggled and he couldn’t help reveling a little in his joke. 

"Okay." He picked up the shovel and inserted it under the lip of the garage door. The door was heavy but the edge managed to slip through. "Sawhorse." He prompted. Jack picked up the sawhorse and laid it next to him. Now came the fun part. 

It was basic physics. The sawhorse worked as Hiccup’s fulcrum. He positioned the shovel over it and he and Jack yanked the end of the shovel down slowly but surely. The garage door crept open, the metal straining against deconstructed chains and runners. Sure, the door was no longer locked into place but now there was also very little holding it up. And garage doors are very heavy. 

Finally the boys breathed a sigh of relief, their faces red and wet with sweat. There was now a two foot gap between the floor and the door: just enough for them to crawl out to freedom. 

But by now the little security system on the wall was blinking like mad. Hiccup estimated it wouldn’t be more than a few minutes before the cops showed up at the house yet again. There were some things even he wasn’t yet smart enough to evade. 

"Go Rapunzel." Hiccup commanded, planting himself on top of the end of the shovel. The wood was already beginning to bow over the sawhorse. 

Her eyes shone, a smile spreading across her lips. “Thank you so much, Hiccup.” She replied, leaning over to kiss him on the cheek. He would have jerked from surprise if he’d been allowed to move. By the time he composed himself she’d already disappeared under the garage door. 

"You guys too. No point in all three of us getting caught. Besides, I’ve got an extremely masculine father to impress." Hiccup continued, looking at Jack and Merida. 

"Are you sure?" Jack asked. Hiccup nodded and jerked his head. 

"You better hurry. I think this shovel might break in half any moment now." Not true, but if they didn’t hurry he’d lose his grip and they’d be trapped again. 

Merida debated a moment before taking his face between her hands and kissing him full on the lips. “You’re a right genius, Haddock.” She disappeared under the door, a cheeky grin on her lips as she left. 

"You work fast." Jack laughed, leaning down to roll under. "See you around, Hiccup. And thanks." His last words were heavy with truth and Hiccup couldn’t help the smile that came to his lips. He’d helped in a desperate situation in a way he didn’t expect. It felt uncommonly good. 

As soon as Jack was gone, Hiccup’s strength gave and he slipped from the shovel handle. The garage door came down with a crash and he was once again left in the dark waiting for the cops to discover his crime.


	4. Chapter 4

The musical trill of sirens filled the air as Merida flew headlong into the forest. She could vaguely glimpse Rapunzel’s brilliant blonde hair swinging through the trees. The redhead picked up speed, heedless of the racket they must have been making as they barreled through the unkempt brush. Merida darted through trees and over thickets, finally catching up with the smaller girl and urging her to come to a stop. 

She caught Rapunzel by the shoulder and beckoned her to turn around. She could see her confusion by the police car lights shining against her small face. 

"What — what happened?" Rapunzel asked immediately, blind panic passing across her face. 

Merida shook her head, her breath coming out in short spurts. Running always gave her a wonderful sense of freedom. She loved the furious ache in her chest, her throat aflame. It had been a long time since she’d run full tilt like that and her body wasn’t used to it. It may have hurt but it was a good hurt. It was a hurt she craved. 

"You’re going the wrong way." Merida urged, laughing breathlessly. Rapunzel turned a violent shade of pink. "Keep running this way and you’ll end up on the interstate. Towns back around the other direction." 

"Oh. I guess I got kind of disoriented." Rapunzel chuckled. 

"Don’t panic. I’ll show you the way back to the main road. But we best keep in the trees and keep quiet otherwise we’ll get nicked." Merida smiled and tossed her head back the other way. She began walking, assuming Rapunzel would follow toute de suit. 

There was a crackle in the brush and suddenly Rapunzel fell in beside her. The blonde looked over her shoulder furtively, paranoia a living thing on her face. The light from the cop cars turned her face blue then white then red, only making her look even more nervous. 

"Settle, lass. You’ll get home alright. Do you know your way back from the main road?" Rapunzel nodded. 

"Yeah. Thanks. For telling me. I never would have made it home otherwise. I’ve lived here my whole life but I don’t exactly know my way around." Her smile was sheepish. 

"It’s alright. It’s right curious about your mum though. My mum’s kind of crazy but she lets me leave the house." Her tone was sympathetic. She felt a little lucky. She and her mother got into many a fight, especially lately, but at least she knew her mother loved her and allowed her certain freedoms. She couldn’t imagine being confined like Rapunzel had been. She’d have gone mad. 

"I don’t know why she feels the way she does. I think she just doesn’t want me to get hurt. I can’t blame her for that it’s just… I’m 18 now. I should be allowed to make my own decisions." 

Merida stopped in her tracks. Rapunzel continued to trundle forward before she realized Merida wasn’t following. She looked back, confused.

"You’re 18?"

"Yes." 

Merida blinked. “Then why’re you bothering to see what your mum has to say about attending school? You can decide for yourself. You’re a legal adult.” 

Rapunzel wavered. “I think it’s a bit more complicated than that. To register I’d need my mother’s consent either way.” 

Merida scoffed. “You’re a clever girl. You could figure it out. You should do what you want, Rapunzel. Your mum isn’t the one living your life, you are.” Merida paused, letting her words sink in. The small girl looked uncertain and afraid, but Merida could see that she liked the idea more than she was letting on. 

"And…" Merida started, "if you need help, I’ll help you. No one should hold you back from what you want, Rapunzel." She walked up and clapped a reassuring hand on her shoulder accompanied by a warm smile. 

Rapunzel looked up at her through thick dark lashes and nodded her head. “If you’ll help me.” Merida grinned and nodded. “This sounds like a really terrible idea though.” 

"Well, it wouldn’t be the first time now would it?" Rapunzel chuckled and they got back on their way. 

As Merida escorted Rapunzel back to the main road, Merida told Rapunzel about high school: the highs and lows, the people to avoid and the people to trust, the classes that rocked and the classes that sucked, the clubs worth joining, etc. But mostly Merida told stories of stupid adventures she had during high school: her stunning archery competitions, her brief year doing track, the wild parties she’d gone to that almost trumped getting locked in a garage, and so many more stories that flowed out of her like forgotten dreams. They came spilling into the air and Merida couldn’t stop them. But Rapunzel seemed enraptured and for a moment Merida felt as if she remembered a part of herself that had been lost. By the time the both of them reached the road, Merida was sad to see Rapunzel go. The girl had listened to her so earnestly and now all she wanted was for Rapunzel to share more such experiences with her. 

The best stories, after all, are ones you share with other people. 

"Thank you again, for helping me." Rapunzel finally said as they meandered the still-warm pavement. "I think I can find my way home now." She began to turn away. 

Merida watched her a moment before a thrill of panic ran through her stomach. “Hey, Rapunzel!” The girl turned back with surprise and the ghost of a smile. 

"Yeah?" 

Merida trotted forward and gave the girl a bear hug. Rapunzel wasn’t expecting it but she received it with a laugh. It took her a moment, but she circled her arms around Rapunzel and they stood there for a moment like that, basking in a relief neither of them had ever felt before. 

When they finally pulled apart their eyes were full of tears but they smiled. “I’m really glad I met you, blondie.” 

"I’m really glad I met you, Merida." 

They stood there a moment, neither keen to leave the others presence but Merida could feel the lateness of the hour in her bones. Sunrise wasn’t far away and Rapunzel had to get home. And so did Merida. 

"If you need me, you can come by my house whenever. You’ll probably have to climb the trellis cus my mum’s a bit strict — well, not compared to yours but still — I don’t mind. I like a bit of trouble anyways." She told Rapunzel her home address and hugged her again, this time more briefly. "I will see you around, Rapunzel." She winked and turned back toward the direction of her house. She jogged down the road before looking back over her shoulder. 

Rapunzel was smiling and waving, her grin wide and bright in the moonlight. Merida raised a hand and waved back, her own smile growing as well. 

She wasn’t sure how it happened. She hadn’t expected this party to be all that it became. Even as she’d rolled under that garage door into freedom she hadn’t expected to find a friend in the cloak of the forest. She hadn’t even realized she needed one. That she needed that release. She felt as if some caged part of her had been unshackled and was starting to learn to fly again. And why, she had to wonder, had she felt so shackled in the first place?


	5. Chapter 5

Rapunzel was very nervous. 

She sat huddled at her desk observing the students that came and went in her first period English Literature class. The bell would ring any moment but that didn’t stop students from entering and disappearing back out the door to greet their friends. There was an even mix of excitement and utter melancholy over the first day of the new school year. Some students were smiling and laughing, happy to be reunited with their friends, while others snored unceremoniously from their desks. 

Rapunzel seemed to be an unhappy middle. She was unbearably excited but also unequivocally terrified. Not only was her presence completely foreign to all the students who seemed to know each other so well, but it was also highly illegal. 

She wasn’t sure how Merida had done it, but when Rapunzel had showed up at her house only days before Merida had the perfect solution to Rapunzel’s problems. The redhead had introduced her to a woman called Ms. Carver. What the elderly woman did she wouldn’t say though evidently she had a very lucrative business in decorative paperweights. Ms. Carver had given her a slew of documents (along with a complimentary wooden paperweight in the shape of a bear) and told her that when she arrived at the high school on Monday morning everything would be in order. All she had to do was pick up her class schedule from the counseling office and she’d be good to go. 

So that is precisely what Rapunzel did. It was all very shady though and she suspected that at any moment the teacher would walk in, recognize that she didn’t belong, and sentence her to several years in a state prison where she would undoubtedly have the best prison braids the world had ever seen. 

Salvation came in the form of a familiar-looking brunette boy flanked by a pair of burly twins who looked as if either of them could have been male or female. He seemed to be relating a rather fascinating story that the pair of them found utterly enthralling. Framed in the doorway to the English class it was a moment before Hiccup’s eyes fell on the bubbly blonde crowded in one of the front seats of the classroom. 

"Rapunzel?" His voice colored with confusion. He stopped midway through a sentence and the twins swiveled to look at the girl that caught his attention. 

"Hi Hiccup." Rapunzel waved brightly. It was a relief to see a familiar face. 

"Who’s that, Hiccup?" One of the twins asked, casting an uncertain glance at the flowery blonde. 

Hiccup wavered. “A girl I met… At the party. Can I just… Hold that thought.” He drifted away from the confused pair and they took their seats closer to the back of the class. Hiccup sat next to Rapunzel, leaning over the aisle to whisper to her amidst the early morning chaos. “What are you… How… What are you doing here, Rapunzel?” 

Rapunzel smiled ecstatically, her hands clasped as she leaned toward Hiccup. “Isn’t it great? I talked to Merida and she hooked me up with this woman who makes these really cool wooden paperweights and she got me into school here! How awesome is that!” 

Hiccup stared, his jaw agape. 

"So you’re a student here now?" 

"Yep!" 

"Does your mother know about this?" Hiccup tread carefully. Considering he’d gotten picked up by the police over the weekend, he didn’t really have room to talk. 

"Of course not. If she did she’d be furious." Rapunzel sat back, uncertain again. She felt those precious petals of extroversion folding in on themselves at the very mention of her mother. 

"I just hope you know what you’re doing." He said slowly, giving her a weak smile. 

Rapunzel’s jaw set and she sat up straight. “Of course I don’t. That’s kind of the fun of it, isn’t it?” Her grin was beautiful and unbreakable and Hiccup couldn’t help wondering how this girl hadn’t gotten everything she’d ever wanted a lot earlier than now. 

At that their teacher entered with a flourish — a beautiful brunette woman in a lovely yellow dress. “Good morning class, my name is Ms. O’Hara.” She gazed at them over a pair of reading glasses and she held a thick tome aloft for them all to see. “Welcome to AP English Literature. I trust you’ve all done your summer reading so you are well prepared for your pretest.” 

Hiccup glanced over at Rapunzel. “You should tell her you only just registered for classes.” He noted charitably. 

Rapunzel smiled. “Thanks, but I’ve already read all first semester coursework for this class. I get a lot of free time at home.” She whispered back, looking up to smile at Ms. O’Hara as she began passing out tests. 

Hiccup seemed to blanch as he accepted his own test. 

Rapunzel was almost done with her test before he could even begin. 

The rest of Rapunzel’s day was rather uneventful. She spent the better part of her morning trapped in classes whose material she was abundantly over-prepared for. Her English class thus far was the only class she seemed to share with any familiar face and she couldn’t deny it was a little disconcerting. Not that her optimism had faded. The day was young and she was well rested. 

That couldn’t necessarily be said for a certain white-haired boy. When Rapunzel arrived to the cafeteria for lunch that day she’d spent an inordinate amount of time in search of somewhere to sit. Familiar faces eluded her among the masses; that was until she spotted a brilliant silver head lulling over a tray in the lunch line. 

She made a beeline for Jack Frost and stopped next to him, picking up a tray of her own. 

"Hi Jack!" 

The boy jumped out of his skin, his tray rattling in his pale hands. “Rapunzel! Where did you come from?” 

"AP Calculus. What about you?" 

"No, I mean, what are you doing here?" 

She giggled and began loading food onto her plate. “A good prankster never reveals her secrets.” 

"So this is a prank?" 

"Well… No, but it seemed like a clever thing to say. Merida might have helped me out a bit. Now I go here." She picked up an apple and studied it dubiously. "Does this look fresh to you?" 

"Definitely not." Jack, while unnerved, studied the blonde beside him with mounting fascination. "You’re absolutely crazy."

Rapunzel sank back, setting the apple back into place. “Is that a bad thing?”

Jack laughed and shook his head. “No, I guess not.” He paid for his food and moved to sit at his usual table with Sandy. 

Rapunzel appeared beside him, an enchanting smile on her lips. “Do you mind if I join you? I’d love to meet your friends. Or anyone really.” She chuckled and scanned the room with unbridled curiosity. 

"I… Well, I guess so." Jack answered uncertainly. His past couple of years of high school had seen silent lunch periods with Sandy as his mute but incredibly expressive companion. He got the feeling that having lunch with Rapunzel was not going to be in any way silent. He wasn’t sure how he felt about it. 

Jack sat next to Sandy and Rapunzel settled across from them. Sandy was already prepared with a lunch he’d brought from home. He was chronically allergic to pretty much everything. Sandy glanced at Jack bewildered at the sight of a newcomer. He didn’t argue, only signed a question to his taller and paler friend. 

Jack signed an answer back. Sandy inquired about exactly how busy did Jack get at Jasmine’s party. He assured him that it wasn’t like that. Rapunzel was just a friend. 

"Is that sign language?" Rapunzel asked curiously. She picked at her food. She didn’t seem satisfied by it but she didn’t say anything. Jack couldn’t really blame her. Cafeteria food wasn’t exactly gourmet. 

"Yeah. Sorry. This is my friend, Sandy. He’s mute." He spoke warily. Not everyone was kind about Sandy’s condition. They treated him like someone of lesser intelligence because of it. As it was, Sandy was smarter than most. 

"So did you learn sign language for him?" She asked innocently, sniffing at her carton of milk. 

"Yeah, I guess I did." 

"That’s really cool! I’ve been meaning to learn. I meant to ask my mom to pick me up some books on it but… Well, I’ve been a bit busy." She said this last bit rather sheepishly, smiling down at her paltry tray of food. She did an awful lot of smiling. It was rather unusual. 

They were interrupted by a whirlwind in blue. Merida, sporting her Archery t-shirt and a pair of board shorts appeared behind Rapunzel toting a very confused and unhappy looking Hiccup. “Oi, there you two are. We’ve been looking all over for you.” 

"I am not a we." Hiccup stated grumpily. He stared longingly back at his meal which was being picked at by many of his friends. 

"Don’t be ridiculous. You certainly are. Frost, Corona, come on. We’re going to give Rapunzel a tour. I hope ya don’t mind, Sandy." She spoke a little more slowly towards Sandy who nodded and hid a chuckle as he watched Merida hoist Jack up by the sleeve of his t-shirt. 

"I haven’t finished my lunch." Rapunzel replied with a laugh.

"Oh, trust me lass, you’ll thank me when the rest of the school is vying for the bathroom in half an hour." Merida threw her arms over Rapunzel’s and Hiccup’s shoulders, steering them toward the double doors that led outside. Jack trailed behind, a wariness washing over them. 

"Oi, Frost, don’t make me drag you!" Merida called over her shoulder. Rapunzel broke free of the redhead and glanced back, waving him forward. 

"Come on! Please!" Rapunzel coaxed. Jack seemed to begrudgingly follow. She perked up and fell into step next to him. She wasn’t sure how she’d done it, but she thought perhaps she’d started something strange by finally escaping from her hidden tower. Whether that was a good or a bad thing she hadn’t figured out yet.


	6. Chapter 6

Jack had skipped a lot of school in the past but never quite like this.

"I thought you were giving me a tour?" Rapunzel stated in confusion as Merida escorted the three of them well off school campus.

"We are. But not of the school building. You got a map for that." Merida looked back and gave the blonde a cherubic grin. She paused on the outskirts, pulling a cigarette from her pocket and lighting it.

"You smoke a lot for a former runner." Hiccup noted distastefully, not even bothering to hide a cough. Jack couldn’t blame him. He wasn’t particularly fond of the stench either.

"Calms the nerves." Merida noted, shrugging. Rapunzel looked nervous but excited, her eyes darting everywhere. Jack watched her take in the football field, the basketball courts, the tennis courts, and the lacrosse field in all their run-down glory. In many ways, the look on her face reminded him of the looks North often gave to his inventions. The man wouldn’t given up his pipe dream of becoming America’s next great inventor. He scoffed at the likes of the shamwow and the snuggie. North clearly watched far too many infomercials. But it was something that Jack had always admired. He didn’t understand where all that wonder came from.

"So… What’s the plan?" Rapunzel asked finally, watching the smoke from Merida’s cigarette curl elegantly in the air.

"Well, I guess that’s up to the gents. I have an idea of my own, but I wanted some insight. So the primary question here is, where is the best place for some fun in this dead end of a town?" She gave the boys a sly smile and tapped ashes.

"The skate park on Bull." Jack named offhand.

"The arcade downtown." Hiccup replied unequivocally.

Merida huffed, dissatisfied. “Ugh. Boys. I should have expected as much. No imagination.”

"You’ve got a better idea?" Jack asked, quirking a brow.

"Much. Somewhere where boys and girls alike congregate in harmony. Also I may have some ulterior motives in this mission to convert Rapunzel into a proper teenager, yeah? And you’re to help me because you’re the only ones who know her dirty little secret."

"I don’t think it’s that dirty." Rapunzel noted.

"It’s pretty dirty." Hiccup disagreed.

"And what do you mean by proper teenager?" There was a playful fear on Rapunzel’s face though reminded Jack vaguely of a deer in the headlights.

"I’m taking you to school, Punzie." Merida stated brightly, tasting the new nickname on the tip of her tongue. The blonde’s brows pulled together in confusion but she didn’t argue. "Your first class: the meeting ground of the average teenager: the mall."

Jack and Hiccup groaned in perfect harmony.

"Can I go back to class please?" Hiccup pleaded. Merida shook her head, adamant.

"No. You are going to help this lovely lady because unlike the rest of us, she has a bit of a culture shock to endure, yeah? Also, admit it, the food court is loads better than that swill you were eating ten minutes ago."

Hiccup ceded. “You got me there.”

"Right then. We’re agreed." She tossed her finished cigarette to the pavement and snuffed it out with her sneaker. She pulled a pair of keys from her back pocket and walked to a handsome black mustang. She unlocked the car and opened welcoming doors to the rest of them. Hiccup and Jack crawled into the back while Rapunzel took the front passenger seat: better to observe the world in.

"This is a really nice car." Hiccup remarked, leaning up between the front to seats to converse with the girls.

"That’s my Angus." Merida stated proudly, stroking the dashboard as she maneuvered rather dangerously from street to street. Rapunzel looked a bit nervous but Jack couldn’t resist the chuckle that escaped his lips.

"You named your car Angus?" Jack commented. Merida’s eyes met his in the rearview mirror and not for the first time Jack felt as if he was being recognized for the first time, like no one had really known he was there in the first place.

"It’s a good, strong, Clydesdale name."

"The car is a Mustang." Hiccup noted.

"Close enough."

Their ride to the mall was full of a lot of chittering that was equal parts amusing and equal parts annoying. Occasionally Rapunzel would posit a legitimate question about their surroundings but this usually started a tangent or an argument between Merida and Hiccup and nearly crashed the car on more than one occasion. By the end Rapunzel had learned to stop asking questions. Jack didn’t speak much, or at all really, merely observed his companions with a wistful kind of smile.

When they arrived at the sprawling mall, getting out of Angus the Black Mustang proved to be rather difficult. Rapunzel had trouble coordinating the seat to release Jack and Hiccup from their backseat prison and Merida seemed rather occupied with counting cash from the driver’s seat. There was a lot of yelling and whining and Jack couldn’t help wondering if this was what his life was going to be like for the next hour or two. 

The four of them finally emerged into the nearly deserted mall with bristling relief. Rapunzel was buzzing with excitement next to Jack. Merida took the blonde by the arm and patted her hand, a proud smile on her freckled lips. “Welcome to Mecca, my dear Corona.” The two girls took off for the nearest store, leaving Hiccup and Jack to ponder after them. 

"She’s never even been to the mall? What parent does that?" Hiccup wondered idly beside Jack. Jack looked over at the shorter boy, surprise flickering across his face. Hiccup seemed to notice him more than others did. He couldn’t figure out why, but he wasn’t going to argue. 

"Something isn’t right about her, that’s for sure." Jack noted uneasily. Hiccup turned green eyes to blue ones and nodded. 

"I feel like we should tell someone." Hiccup replied fearfully. Hiccup, as far as Jack could remember, was a rather responsible adult. He was to-be valedictorian, unwitting captain of the engineering club, and the envy of every straight A student at school. And, as far as Jack knew, he was on his way to the top schools in the country. If anyone wasn’t going to be trapped in this po-dunk town, it was Hiccup. 

"Maybe." Jack turned his eyes to Merida and Rapunzel who were merrily holding clothing up to Rapunzel’s small frame. "But if we do that, her mom will definitely find out. It might do more harm than good." 

Hiccup nodded, though he still looked incredibly uneasy. 

"We should go join them. If we don’t, Rapunzel might end up as a clone of Merida and I don’t think any of us wants that." Jack’s lips spread into a mocking grin. Hiccup laughed and the pair of them trotted over to join the girls. 

Much of their afternoon was spent shopping. Merida, whose father was almost as wealthy as Jasmine’s father, had a wad of cash to impress. Even Hiccup sported his own heavily armed debit card. Jack and Rapunzel, it seemed, were the only two without a cent to their names. Not that Rapunzel didn’t benefit greatly from Merida’s generosity. By the end of the afternoon Rapunzel had a couple new and improved outfits. Hiccup spent most of his time in the video game stores while Merida popped into the sporting goods section and spent an inordinate amount of time contemplating a compound bow. Jack, while completely broke, found ways to entertain himself. He sneaked into the girls’ dressing rooms more than once and managed to raise a little hell with one of the security guards by making him think there was a ghost haunting the mall. It wasn’t long before a group of the glorified mall cops were running from store to store looking for a troublemaker that didn’t actually exist. 

"You’re going to get us kicked out." Merida noted distastefully as she settled her and Rapunzel’s tray down at their table in the food court. 

Jack chuckled, splaying his hands and deftly stealing a french fry from Hiccup’s stash. The brunette boy glared at him momentarily before going back to examining his game stop haul. “A good prankster never gets caught. And I’ve never been caught.” 

"This is really good!" Rapunzel remarked around a large and greasy cheeseburger. "I’ve made burgers before, but they were nothing like this. What’s in it?" 

"Grease." Hiccup remarked, a smile just barely playing at his lips. 

Rapunzel considered this a moment before shrugging and taking a hearty bite. 

"I think this day has been a rousing success. Of course, I think it would have been a bit more successful if we’d made a trip to Victoria’s Secret, but I can’t say I didn’t try." Merida stated, snacking charitably from everyone’s tray as well as her own. Rapunzel blushed pink and the boys cringed simultaneously. 

"Thank you guys for everything. I haven’t had this much fun… Well, ever." The blonde chuckled shyly and politely wiped her mouth with a napkin. 

"I’ll admit, I was skeptical—" Hiccup began. 

"When are you ever not skeptical?" Merida asked pointedly. 

Hiccup rolled his eyes. “I was skeptical, but today was actually pretty fun. You’re not as thickheaded as you seem, Merida.” He gave her an icy smile and Merida’s face seemed to turn as red as her hair. 

She looked about to burst when Rapunzel intervened with a few kind words. “If it wasn’t for you, Merida, I wouldn’t be here having the time of my life. I don’t want to sound weird, but the party was the best day of my life until now. And I feel like my days are only going to get better.” She smiled at the three of them and both Merida and Hiccup seemed to soften. 

Jack sobered. “Rapunzel is right. I never imagined I’d be hanging out with you two weirdos but today was a lot of fun. If I didn’t think the school would explode I’d say we should hang out more.” 

"We should hang out more!" Rapunzel seconded. 

Merida, Hiccup, and Jack all froze uncertainly. Jack couldn’t deny, they were all stepping out of their usual crowds. Merida stuck with the jocks, Hiccup the geeks, and Jack had Sandy for company. But, as strange as it was to admit, something about hanging out with just the four of them felt oddly natural. 

But as the silence stretched, the three of them realized they’d forgotten to explain to Rapunzel one of high school’s most important lessons: people don’t always do what you expect them to. And as Jack felt crushed under the weight of that silence, he realized that none of them had the heart to tell Rapunzel that this meeting might never happen again.


	7. Chapter 7

Hiccup was used to awkward silences. He’d had a lot of them in his youth. The years spent in a house alone with only his father had grown long and Hiccup had learned to find a home in awkward silences. He expected that as soon as Merida dropped him off at his reasonably sized mansion that there would be another awkward silence waiting for him on the other side of the door.

But this awkward silence? It wasn’t something he was used to and he would have been more than happy to be free of it.

Merida had dropped off Jack and Rapunzel first because their houses were on the other side of town. He and Merida lived in the swankier suburbs. Their parents were next to royalty at the country club and had been good friends for many years. In fact, Fergus Dunbroch and Stoick Haddock were known to get into many a friendly tussle. As long as Merida had lived in their dreary little town, she and Hiccup had been begrudgingly acquainted. They’d never really hit it off and now was certainly no different.

The silence stretched between them, and Hiccup could sense Merida’s discomfort. She seemed to twitch and the wheel, her whole body thrumming with that strange energy she always had, like she yearned to be out and about on the horses at the country club or climbing the rock wall down at the gym downtown. Hiccup had a similar energy, though his was more intellectually oriented. He usually felt himself more driven to sketches and mechanics.

He’d once told his father than he liked mechanics. Stoick had vastly misunderstood him. He’d imagined his son as a proud grease monkey and thought it a quite admirable thing. However, when Hiccup explained that he wanted to be an engineer rather than a mechanics, Stoick hadn’t taken that quite the same way. Hiccup thought his father always imagined he’d have a bulging football player for a son. Instead he got a skinny kid with a lot of failed robots in their garage.

"So…" Merida started, finally braving breaking the silence. "I’m surprised your da’ didn’t get you a car."

"Well, he did actually. He got me a Hummer. But when I asked him for something a bit more energy efficient he grumbled and decided to drive the Hummer himself." Hiccup replied back uncomfortably.

"Oh." They fell silent again, the gulf stretching and condensing between them.

He didn’t quite understand how they’d always had such a hard time conversing. Either they couldn’t speak to each other at all or they were yelling at each other arguing over the most inane things. Most of the car ride to the mall had been spent arguing about the best weapon to use in a zombie apocalypse. Merida had argued for the bow and arrow, obviously. Hiccup thought the samurai sword was a bit more elegant and better in up close combat. He would admit to himself they both had pros and cons. He wasn’t so sure about admitting that to Merida, though.

"I think it’s really cool, what you did for Rapunzel." Hiccup finally resolved. He couldn’t bring himself to look at the redhead, instead settling his eyes on his scuffed up sneakers that had seen better days. He had plenty of clean new shoes. He liked these best.

He sensed Merida soften beside him, the nervous energy seeming to leave her body in relief. “Thanks.”

Finally he looked up at her as they pulled into their neighborhood. “I just don’t understand… Why did you do it? Why are you doing it?” Merida glanced over at him, surprised. A flush of red ran up her pale cheeks.

She looked back at the road, a strange vulnerability falling across her usually stony and assured face. Merida had always seemed so recklessly confident. It was a strange sight, to say the least. “After the party I led Rapunzel back to the main road. She was getting wicked lost. And we talked for a long bit. There’s something about her, Hiccup. She’s so isolated from all the shit. I dunno. Ever since then, around her, I feel different. Like I can be myself. I know that sounds stupid, I barely know the girl. She’s just bloody brilliant and she doesn’t even know it. She’s been dealt such shit and yet she’s so… Rapunzel.” She said it all with such passion, her eyes lighting up and by the end of the speech she was laughing with relief.

Vaguely he remembered the spitfire he’d met years ago at the country club. She’d been a deal smaller and a deal louder and a deal more boyish. And it occurred to him that Merida had grown quiet the last few years. Whenever they’d had the chance meeting at the country club she’d remained passive and dutiful next to her blindingly regal mother, Elinor. Hiccup felt as if he was seeing snippets of that young spitfire again, little threads peeking out underneath that pile of unkempt red hair. It was a wonder, really, that he hadn’t noticed it before.

Finally, Merida pulled up in front of Hiccup’s house and bid him goodbye. 

"I guess I’ll be seeing you around school then." Hiccup started awkwardly, shutting the door behind him and leaning in through the window to speak to her. 

"I guess so." Merida replied, studying his face curiously. They seemed to be trying to figure each other out. Hiccup sensed that there was a part of Merida that wasn’t done with Rapunzel yet, but she wouldn’t fully admit it to herself. He couldn’t understand why. He’d known Merida as long as she’d lived there and yet he felt as if he really knew nothing about her. 

"See ya." He repeated, feeling like a fool for restating himself, and then walking up the drive to his house. 

The house was it’s usual silence when he entered. The foyer stretched endlessly, the click of the front door echoing dully against the plaster walls. Hiccup let his bag drop to the floor next to the front door and made for the kitchen, knowing that a freezer full of microwaveable food would be waiting for him. 

He did not expect to see his father standing there with a brimming smile. The man rarely smiled at his son. It was a little eerie and Hiccup came very close to stifling a terrified scream. “Dad! Were you waiting for me? You know that’s kind of creepy right?” 

Stoick ignored him. “You thought I wouldn’t find out but I did. I don’t know why you insist on keeping it a secret from me!” 

"Find out about what?" Hiccup replied, mystified about the bubbling smile on his father’s face. 

"Skipping school of course! You skipped your first day of senior year! Finally you’re acting like a real teenager. You know, I was a bit worried for a few years there but ever since that party, well, things are looking up." Stoick sighed dreamily and reached into the freezer. He pulled out two very large and bloody steaks and began unwrapping them. 

"I thought we should celebrate. You’re becoming a man, my boy. I’ve already fired up the grill. Tonight, we dine like kings." 

"Because we don’t dine like that every night." Hiccup quipped. "How did you find out I skipped classes?" 

Stoick shrugged. “The school called me this afternoon.” 

Hiccup felt his life narrow down to a single point. The panic welled up in his throat as several things occurred to him in rapid succession. Stoick, however, seemed oblivious as he continued to prattle on. “They seemed real concerned that you missed class, hoping it wouldn’t become a regular thing because of some scholarship nonsense, especially after the arrest on Saturday but I told them that it was no big deal, boys will be boys and frankly I couldn’t be prouder. Haddock men need a little spice, a little rebellion in them. It’s what makes us Haddocks.” 

"Yeah, that’s nice, Dad. I need to go make a call." 

Stoick perked up. “Oh, you got a girlfriend now too? No, you don’t have to tell me. A man’s got to have his secrets.” Stoick reasoned more to himself than to Hiccup. The brunette boy used the opportunity to slip away. 

He retreated to the foyer, shaking his head. He pulled his cellphone from his pocket, dialed a number that felt foreign on his fingertips and lifted the phone to his ear. 

It rang once before they answered. 

"Hiccup? Why’re you calling me?" 

"Where are you?" 

"I’m just walking in my house. Why?" 

"Get out! The school called our parents. Your mom—" Hiccup was cut off by a terrifying shrill scream from the other end of the line. He tried to speak again but the line was dead.


	8. Chapter 8

"MERIDA!!!"

Merida felt her whole body stiffen. It wasn’t an unfamiliar feeling. She couldn’t count the number of times she’d stood in that exact same spot on the threshold and frozen like a rabbit caught in a wolf’s teeth. But it wasn’t in Merida to be afraid. Instead she felt an all-consuming rebelliousness seep into her bones, taking hold there like the roots of a great tree. It had settled like a stain on her skin when Elinor finally burst into the entrance hall.

Elinor, to her credit, was an incredibly composed woman. Her pant suit was immaculate and not a single hair fell from the tight bun piled heavily on her head. But her expression was clearly ruffled. This, too, Merida was familiar.

"Afternoon, Mum." She folded her hands behind her back and gave her mother an innocent smile. She hid her phone in her back pocket. If Merida had anything of value in her hands when she was being punished it was like to get taken away and the redhead wasn’t keen on losing her immediate connection with the outside world.

"Don’t give me that cherubic smile, Merida Dunbroch, it hasn’t worked since you were six and I’m in no mood."

"Are you ever in a good mood?" Merida quipped. "Or any mood really? You know you really ought to smile more. You’re starting to get wrinkles. You’re not a young woman any more."

Merida was spared Elinor’s frustrated scream when her father entered the front door behind her. He wore a huge burlish smile and didn’t hesitate when he pulled Merida into a hug. “Good afternoon, my girls! You won’t believe the good news I have!”

"You won’t believe the bad news I have." Elinor echoed next to the stairs, her arms crossed obstinately over her chest. She denied the hug that Fergus offered her and glared pointedly at Merida.

"Well, perhaps my news will cheer you up then! Guess who’s coming to visit?"

Merida looked away from her mother, giving her father a wide smile. “Who, Dad?”

"THE BOYS!" Fergus exclaimed, slapping his knee (well, at least, a portion of his knee; the rest was purely prosthetic and if you ask him how he lost his leg he’ll be more than happy to tell you). "Macintosh, MacGuffin, and Dingwall are all going to be staying here next week with their boys!"

Merida felt her moment of relief curl into a flake of absolute horror. She groaned and let her face fall into her hands.

Elinor, however, lit up. “That IS good news! Though I wish you’d have told me sooner. I’ve got so much to do to prepare. I assume they’ll be staying upstairs as per usual. Oh dear, I’ve got so many sheets to clean.”

"Why don’t you just ask Maudie, I’m sure she’ll handle the sheets just fine." Merida noted tonelessly, dropping her schoolbag finally on the stairs. Maudie was their housekeeper and personal chef who, while nice enough, was often terrorized by Merida’s three younger brothers.

Elinor rounded back on Merida, her shrewd expression growing shrewder by the minute. Apparently Fergus’ good news hadn’t been enough to make Elinor forget her wrath.

"Young lady, how dare you speak to me that way. I am your mother and I demand respect. This is most unlike you, Merida. You are acting like a child; first you skip school and now this attitude—what on earth has gotten into you?"

Fergus finally seemed to catch the drift of Elinor’s wrath. “Skip school? Did you skip school?”

Merida felt her shield weaken like it so often did when she’d done something to disappoint her parents. The vulnerability of it felt foreign and itchy in her skin but she couldn’t stop it. When she’d first moved to the states, her mother had constantly reminded her that her brutish attitude would get her nowhere in life. People would exclude her and she’d always be seen as a screwup. And she hadn’t been totally wrong. When she was in middle school she’d been shunned because she was wild and outspoken and nothing like the other girls in her grade. Boys were scared of her. Girls made fun of her. She was different. She had a funny accent and unruly hair. She couldn’t say how many times a cruel child had stuck gum in her hair to see what would happen. But, of course, the same thing happened to her as it did for everyone that got gum in their hair.

So Merida grew quiet and agreeable. She learned to hang out with other girls and other boys and she was able to find a balance between the world’s Merida and her own Merida. But it still never felt right.

And still this moment didn’t feel right. “I’m sorry, Mum, Dad. I know I shouldn’t have skipped school today. I, well, I made a new friend and she’d never seen the city so I thought it would be cool to show her around. It was stupid. I promise I won’t do it again.” Merida had gotten very good at telling little half-lies to pass the time. She told many of them to create a beautiful mask of the truth. She had been, for the better part of two years, Elinor’s perfect little princess. Or so everyone thought. But beneath layers and layers of lies there existed a little beast with red hair and a wicked tongue.

And, whether she knew it or not, those layers were slowly being peeled away bit by dangerous bit.


	9. Chapter 9

The rest of the group may have decided that the interaction at the mall was going to be their last encounter: however, Rapunzel had not.

Much as they may have tried, the little blonde was something of a force to behold. For the coming weeks she managed to find new and creative ways to bring the four of them together though surprising means. Many predictable moments were during lunch when she would appear at their tables with a big smile. It was not uncommon for her to be accompanied by a whole pie or a tray of cupcakes. Apparently she was a very prolific baker. It was getting to the point where people were beginning to think she was running for homecoming queen and despite the fact that no one outside of the four of them really knew who she was, it seemed like she was going to get quite a few votes one way or the other.

Rapunzel could often be seen in the cafeteria schmoozing up crowds of complete strangers. It didn’t really matter who she was talking to, she always seemed to get along with just about everyone. She was always open with a smile and a kind word. But despite that she seemed to be having no trouble making new friends of all shapes and sizes, she kept coming back to bother Merida, Hiccup, and Jack.

She cornered Hiccup during one early morning, leaning over his desk with mounting excitement. He didn’t look particularly thrilled. Mornings weren’t his thing, she had noticed. Rapunzel had always been an early riser. It was as if the moment the sun came up she was imbued with light and power… Like Superman, but blonde and tiny.

"Are you excited for Homecoming, Hiccup?" Rapunzel was full to bursting.

He looked up at her, significantly less enthused. Rapunzel’s presence in the school had proven to be particularly grating on the brunette boy. Not that he had anything against her personally. It was more the fact that his class standing had been bumped from one to two. In a few short weeks Rapunzel had become the most accomplished student in their senior class. She was like a very small and very bubbly version of wonder woman. Hiccup was very smart but Rapunzel had spent years working on the same work he was struggling through now. He couldn’t say he was surprised but he didn’t relish being overthrown. He wanted to get into the top schools and you did that by being the best.

"Not particularly." He wiped exhaustion from his face and hid his tired eyes behind his hands. He’d been staying up late studying and it showed.

Rapunzel deflated. “Why not?”

Hiccup shrugged. “Not really my thing.”

"Oh, come on, Hiccup. It’ll be fun! Besides, apparently I’m running for Homecoming Queen and I rely on your vote especially." She smiled brightly, innocently and Hiccup felt himself melt. She was the type of person you couldn’t say no to. He kind of hated that.

"Fine. But I won’t have any fun." He declared decidedly. She sat in her seat next to him and laughed.

"Sure you will. It’s my first dance and I want all my best friends to be there."

He looked up at her and she glowed with happiness. The words echoed in his head slowly: best friends.

Later, in the cafeteria, Rapunzel cornered the other two members of their merry band of misfits. She discovered Merida amongst a group of jocks who, while all rather big and brutish, were something of a motley crew. She spotted East and Al and Eric and even Jasmine in the group. Merida didn’t seem to fit quite right among them but she smiled enough that Rapunzel had never questioned it. Besides, the jocks seemed to be nice people.

"Oi, how ya doin’, Blondie?" Merida greeted her with a welcoming smile. Merida had perhaps been the least resistant to Rapunzel’s friendship though she had a rather erratic personality. Rapunzel had noticed that in the mornings there would always be some sad hesitance about Merida’s behavior but if you got her alone long enough she’d be all fire and brimstone. But then another day would blossom and she’d be back to a mouse.

"Great! Are you excited for Homecoming on Saturday?"

"That’s right, you’re running for bloody queen, yeah?" She had a slightly amused smile.

"Weren’t you one of the princesses last year, Merida?" Eric called across the table with a joking smile.

"We promised we’d never speak of that again. Besides I was like one of twenty, alright. Cindy and Jas and Belle were up there with me too. My mum made me put my damn name on the ballot. Not this year though." She stated the last part smugly.

"You’re still going though, right?" A line of worry passed over Rapunzel’s brow.

Merida laughed. “Of course I am, ya ninny. And I’ve got a nice little after party planned for you, me, and the boys, eh? You’re gonna have a proper fun night. We’ve got four years of angst and debauchery to squeeze out of you in a very short amount of time so I say we pull out all the stops.” Rapunzel agreed with a grin.

"I’ve gotta go talk to Jack but I’ll see you this afternoon at my place, okay? My mom is gonna be gone all night at some botany thing so we should be okay for several hours." Rapunzel stated.

"Sure thing!" The redhead gave the blonde an encouraging smile and Rapunzel thought she saw a little life return to the girl’s blue eyes.

By the time Rapunzel reached Jack’s table he was already finishing off a meal and Sandy seemed to be in deep conversation with his narcoleptic friend Aurora.

"Hey, Jack!" Rapunzel greeted him, sitting across from him and waving a polite hand to Sandy. The stout boy returned the wave with a smile and went back to his conversation.

"Oh, hey Rapunzel." Jack replied, chasing some pees around his tray with a fork.

"So… You know the Homecoming dance is this weekend." Rapunzel led in with a sly smile.

Jack’s eyes narrowed. “Yeah…”

"And you’re going." She stated this as if it were fact. Jack put down his fork and crossed his hands over his chest. Of the three of them, Rapunzel had found her rapport with Jack to be the most stubborn. He had no trouble making jokes and playing pranks but if it involved anything out of his comfort zone he moved at a glacial pace and was as frozen as could be.

"No, I’m not."

"Yes, you are." She picked up his fork and speared a pea effortlessly. She offered it to him. He denied it.

"Dances are stupid."

"He only says that because he’s never been to one." Aurora noted sagely next to Sandy. Sandy nodded his assent, cocking his head pointedly in Jack’s direction. Rapunzel gaped.

"You’ve never been to a dance!"

"No! And I don’t plan on going to one." Jack replied stubbornly, sinking in his chair as if he might disappear under the table.

Rapunzel lit up, a perfect contrast to his cold shoulder. “Oh, but don’t you see, Jack! This is perfect! It’s my first dance and Merida and Hiccup are going! You have to go! It won’t be as much fun if you don’t go. Come on! You guys are my best friends you’ve got to come. Besides, I’m running for homecoming queen. It’ll be so much fun and Merida’s throwing an after party for us.”

She begged and pleaded quite well but Jack wouldn’t budge. “No.”

She leaned back in her seat, defeated. And then she had that horrible spark in her eye: the one that said she was concocting an idea. “Well, if you’re not going, then I’m not going.” She stated assuredly.

She’d caught him. He wasn’t selfish enough to deprive her of her first and only homecoming dance. And if going to a stupid dance for a few hours got her off his back he supposed it wouldn’t be so bad. And hey, maybe it would be fun.

He groaned, conceding. “Fine, I’ll go.”

She let out a whoop and reached out to hug him across the table. It took him by surprise but it really shouldn’t have by this point. It was standard Rapunzel behavior.


	10. Chapter 10

When Jack agreed to go to the Homecoming dance, this was not what he bargained for.

"You’re not seriously going dressed like that, are ye?" Merida stood on his doorstep closely flanked by Rapunzel and Hiccup. Rapunzel struggled to peek over the taller girl’s shoulder. "I hate dressing up and even I know that’s rubbish clothes for a dance, Frost."

North appeared predictably at Jack’s shoulder. The burly bearded man peered down at Jack’s new friends with blinding curiosity. “Jack! You have not introduced me to new friends of yours. Don’t be rude. Let in. Let in!” The older man gently pushed Jack aside to allow the three teenagers into their small and very cramped home.

Jack sighed and rolled his eyes, gesturing to each of the kids in turn. “North meet Merida, Rapunzel, and Hiccup. Guys, my adopted father, North.”

Rapunzel, predictably, greeted the large man with a flourish. “It’s nice to meet you, sir! Your house is really cool.” She wasn’t completely wrong though Jack wasn’t totally sure he’d have used the word cool. The house was certainly something. It was filled with gadgets and toys that rode the borderline between genius, artwork, and total stupidity. It was a beautiful mess that Jack was both annoyed by and that he greatly admired.

"Thank you, ‘Punzel. They are all my own creations. You like?"

She nodded. “Very much. Did you do those sculptures too?” She wondered, flitting over to a delicately constructed carving of a flying train. Her eyes seemed to glow the way North’s often did when he was working. It occurred to Jack that she and North were actually quite alike in that respect.

"Oh yes. Do you sculpt?"

She shook her head, her hands hovering over the work but not daring to touch it. “No, but I’d love to learn. I’m more of a painter, I think, but I can’t help admiring good craftsmanship.”

North grew a little pink in the face. “You are too kind, small blonde one.” He chortled. “Perhaps you come over some time and I show you a few tricks, yes?”

"Oh yes, that’d be wonderful!"

"Oi, Punzie! We got a dance to get ready for and Frostie isn’t quite prepared." Merida called to get their attention back to the matter at hand. Jack tried to hide his smile but didn’t think he was particularly successful. Rapunzel seemed to come back to earth and her eyes fell on Jack’s chosen outfit for the evening.

He was dressed just as casually as he usually was: blue hoodie and jeans. Rapunzel seemed to deliberate a moment on his appearance, her green eyes calculating swiftly. “You’re right, Merida. This simply won’t do.” She turned to North. “Sir, would you do me the honor of showing me to Jack’s bedroom so that we might find him some proper attire?”

"Of course!" North proclaimed. "Right this way."

"North!" Jack complained loudly, running a hand nervously through his white hair.

"What? Girls are right. You are… under dressed."

Jack turned to Hiccup, his last hope in the battle. Hiccup was a bit more appropriately dressed in dark wash jeans and a nice button down. It was a decent homecoming outfit though Hiccup didn’t look entirely comfortable regardless. The brunette boy shrugged and splayed his hands. He was at a loss. Clearly Jack was not going to be getting any help from him.

The boy groaned and followed the group of them into his bedroom. North bid them a hearty goodbye and left the kids to their own devices.

Rapunzel didn’t hesitate to begin rifling through Jack’s closet and drawers. Merida sat on his rumpled bed leisurely and Hiccup stood awkwardly by the window, observing his surroundings. On one wall were several snow boards mounted to display their colorful underbellies. A set of skis sat in one corner of the room though they looked to be too small for Jack now. A tattered Three Stooges poster curled on one wall and a dying bookcase huddled next to his bed.

"I didn’t know you liked to snowboard." Merida observed appreciatively, studying the boards on the wall. "I always wanted to learn but Mum said it was too unladylike."

Jack nodded. “Yeah, North and I go every year for my birthday. We can’t afford to go often but he tries at least to give me that.” His lips quirked at a tiny smile. He didn’t have much but North was very good about getting Jack what he wanted. He may not have been Jack’s dad but he was more than a substitute. He was a blessing, even if Jack sometimes forgot.

"Maybe you ought to come with the family come December." Merida remarked offhand. "You could teach me and it’d give me more reason to avoid me mum." She snickered at that and picked at her violently blue and ridiculously tight dress. She looked beautiful, despite her ever-tangled mess of red hair, but she didn’t look particularly comfortable.

Rapunzel, however, looked totally at ease in her own pink lace dress. Her hair fell straight and effortless down her back. She was a stark constrast to Merida, in that respect. She rifled through a few of his drawers. She happened upon his underwear drawer and stopped momentarily stunned. Her face went pink and she abruptly closed the drawer and returned to his closet.

When she finally emerged from Jack’s haphazard closet she came carrying his most untouched pair of clean jeans and a blue button down that Jack wasn’t certain he hadn’t worn since the day North adopted him. The man had insisted on buying him the shirt and making him wear it to the final signing of the adoption papers. Then he’d taken the fifteen year old out for sno cones. It had been an odd but good day in Jack’s short memory.

"How about this?" Rapunzel pronounced, holding the clothes up to Jack’s tall frame to get a better image of how they might look on him. She nodded, satisfied. Merida nodded in agreement.

"Roll up his sleeves and he’ll look downright dapper, I’d wager." She snickered and stood. "Well, off with you then. Get changed. If you don’t hurry we’ll be late to the dance and I want to get the first song request slots so we’re not listening to total crap." Merida stated, planting a hand on her hip.

Jack took the clothes uncertainly but was soon changed and ready to go. He wasn’t used to the attire but he did look rather dashing, even if he didn’t feel quite like himself. Rapunzel paired with it a pair of practically new black shoes from the back of his closet and then they were on their way. The group bid North goodbye.

"Don’t get into too much trouble, Jack." North wore a smile but there was genuine worry behind his eyes.

"I won’t." Jack replied, beginning to close the front door behind them. For the first time in a while, he truly meant it.

By the time the four of them arrived to the dance in Merida’s Mustang, people were spilling out of the gymnasium and onto the football field. It seemed like Merida would not be getting those first song request slots. She grumbled from the front seat and muttered something about helpless fashion rejects, but beyond that she kept relatively quite about the whole incident. Instead, she turned her attention to the rapt Rapunzel who was taking everything in with as much wonder as she did her first day at high school.

She leaned over the back seat, directing her excitement to the oblivious boys. “Aren’t you guys excited??”

Hiccup seemed to sink further into the cushions. “Not really.”

She pouted. “Oh, come on. What about you, Jack? It’s our first dance. You’ve got to be a little excited!”

His brows pulled together uncertainly as he stared at the multitude of students laughing and dancing on the lawns. Some looked to be a bit tipsy already. He wouldn’t say he was excited so much as incredibly nervous. Rapunzel was good with people so this worked for her. But Jack was only really good at playing pranks and cracking jokes. People weren’t his forte.

Though perhaps there were a few pranks to be had at such an event as this. “Maybe a little.” Jack finally admitted tentatively. Rapunzel beamed and launched herself out of the car.

The girls took to the dance floor very quickly. Despite complaining very audibly about the poor choice in music, Merida didn’t seem to have a problem with it once she was on the dance floor. She conversed with other friends and danced with many a guy like it was no big deal. She had done this many times before and Jack sensed it gave her a little bit of a thrill to be a little reckless on the dance floor if not in other aspects of her life. She wasn’t a GREAT dancer but she had a certain athletic grace and clearly she’d been taught to dance from a very young age.

Rapunzel on the other hand was a complete natural. He couldn’t understand how someone who’d lived their entire life alone could dance so effortlessly with everyone she came in contact with. Perhaps it was her way of putting people at ease. She danced with boys and girls alike though he noticed many boys were more apt to ask her to dance than others. She didn’t deny a single one the pleasure and she always wore a smile.

Hiccup and Jack, however, remained wallflowers, watching the dance go on. Hiccup occasionally would see a few friends and talk with them for a bit but they all seemed to have dates and would get back to them very quickly. Jack had seen Sandy with Aurora but they’d had to skip out very quickly — Aurora’s jealous ex-boyfriend Phillip was always harassing them.

Jack had managed a few small pranks through the night. At one point he’d rigged the DJ to play Ice Ice Baby on repeat for about ten minutes. It had pissed most everybody else off, but the four of them had laughed about it in the hallway for a good twenty minutes before the girls had returned to the dance floor. He’d also managed to scare a group of smokers (Merida included) into thinking they’d gotten caught by some of the chaperones. Merida had punched him in the shoulder for that but seeing her try to run away in high heels had kind of been worth it.

Two hours had passed, however, and neither Jack nor Hiccup had danced once. The boys didn’t seem to mind and instead conversed quite amiably against the wall. Hiccup was discussing engineering which didn’t really interest Jack until he got on the subject of creating a catapult specifically designed to launch multiple water balloons at once.

The girls caught the boys unawares amongst one such discussion.

"You two have been wet blankets long enough. You’ve got to dance at least once so come on then." Merida prompted. Rapunzel stood smiling at her side. Merida’s hair was even more unkempt than usual and even Rapunzel’s looked to be a bit ruffled from dancing and sweat. The girls were glowing though and they looked as if they’d been having a really fun evening thus far.

"Eh, I don’t know." Hiccup started, edging his hands up in defense.

"Come ON Hiccup. You’re here, aren’t you! You might as well." Rapunzel replied, taking his wrist and dragging him onto the dance floor. Merida cocked her head for them to follow and Jack really had no choice but to join them.

The four of them danced together as a unit. Merida and Rapunzel got into a sort of modern dance ballroom dance mix that left them laughing and breathless. Rapunzel got Hiccup to mosh once or twice. And they all got really into the Cha Cha Slide. Hiccup wasn’t a very good dancer but he seemed to forget that after a while. Jack was moderately better and he thought with a little practice he might actually be pretty decent after a while.

After a song or two the group of them got lost in the music, lost in dancing and laughing with each other. Before he knew it Jack was dancing toe to toe with Rapunzel, jumping along to the beat with Merida, and even swaying back and forth side by side to a power ballad with Hiccup.

It was as if they were drunk on their own laughter and would only get more intoxicated with it as the night wore on.


	11. Chapter 11

Hiccup was more than a little bit tipsy. He wasn’t really sure how it had happened. Well, no, he did know, he was just surprised at how quickly he’d accepted the offered bottle from Merida.

They’d ended up at Merida’s house for the evening. Evidently her parents were out and Merida had commandeered their pool house for the after party. It wasn’t anything over the top like Jasmine’s back to school party. It was just the four of them. Hiccup had the foresight to ask Merida why it was just the four of them at this little get together but she’d just shrugged, smiled wickedly, and stated that it was cheaper buying alcohol for less people.

He hadn’t asked how she’d acquired the bottle of vodka, but he assumed it wasn’t savory.

Rapunzel had been honored with the first sip of the bottle of fermented potatoes. She’d taken a careful sip and managed a terrible coughing fit thereafter. Merida pounded her on the back until the coughing ended. They were still high from the dance and the pair of them had fallen apart laughing at Rapunzel’s misfortune. Merida offered her the bottle to try again. When Rapunzel swallowed the second time she managed to keep it down with a comically sour face.

Merida had offered Hiccup the bottle next and Hiccup had taken it warily. He’d tried it before but it wasn’t really his forte. He’d lifted the bottle to his lips, baring the glass against his teeth and swallowed cautiously. The clear liquid burned down his throat, a faintly familiar bitterness that made his tongue squirm. He asked for a chaser but Merida denied him, saying that he needed to take it like a man.

Jack and Merida didn’t seem to have any trouble with the vodka and Hiccup wondered how often this was a thing for both of them.

Rapunzel was the first to go, obviously. She’d already been giggly enough, her cheeks red and shining from hours on the dance floor. If it was possible, alcohol made her even happier than usual. She had trouble sitting up straight, however, and ended up with her head in Merida’s lap more than once. Hiccup wasn’t very good at holding his liquor either and it wasn’t long before he was pleasantly warm, the usual tightness of his muscles falling away.

"So, you brought us here, what are we going to do?" Jack finally asked. They’d spent the first few minutes in Merida’s pool house reliving the highlights of the dance. Merida had told a rather comical story about a lecherous kid by the name of Frollo who’d tried to make a move on her on the dance floor. She’d socked him where the sun don’t shine and he’d crawled out of the gym crying. She admitted that it was one of the prouder moments of her life.

"What do you think we’re doing, Frost?" Merida laughed, hoisting the vodka bottle into the air to demonstrate.

Jack shook his head, leaning over his knees. Despite the skepticism in his voice, he was smiling. “Nah, not enough. We need to raise the stakes. Raise some hell.” He lifted his brows suggestively. The liquor was making him bold and it wasn’t really a secret that he wasn’t the only one.

Merida leaned forward intrigued. Rapunzel sat up with a giddy smile, her head settling on Merida’s shoulder. Hiccup watched them with uncertainty, his green eyes wide. He wasn’t really sure if adrenaline and alcohol was a good idea but he was about to find out. “What are you suggesting?” Merida asked taking a long drag on the vodka.

"Oh come on. Drunken night classic. Truth or dare. And you remove a piece of clothing if you chicken out. It’s only fair." He splayed his hands. The alcohol gave his eyes a wicked gleam and Hiccup thought perhaps he wasn’t the only one that was just a little bit more than tipsy.

"I’ll take that challenge. Besides, I’m sure you wee coward lads have some secrets to tell." Merida grinned and flung an arm over Rapunzel’s shoulders. "You know the rules, Punzie? It’s pretty basic."

Rapunzel nodded vigorously (perhaps a bit too vigorously) and sighed contentedly. “It’s like a dream come true. I’m ready for anything.” She declared proudly, flopping back into Merida’s lap. Merida laughed and brushed a few stray blonde hairs from Rapunzel’s face.

"You’re a bit snockered, aren’t you?" The redhead giggled. "We’ve got a lightweight, this one."

Rapunzel huffed indignantly. “It’s my first time, give me a break.”

The bigger girl laughed. “Fair enough. I guess we should get started. Frost, since you suggested it, why don’t you pick who goes first.” Merida passed the vodka bottle to Jack, passing the torch to mark the beginning of their game.

Jack agreed amiably and took a long swig to start them off. “How about… Hiccup!” Their eyes fell on the brunette boy who felt his head clear with adrenaline. He wasn’t a big fan of truth or dare. He didn’t really like being backed into a corner and pumped for either information or ridiculous tasks. He tried to swallow some of his initial panic as he nodded his assent. The liquor seemed to warm him a little, remind him of his courage. “Truth or dare?”

"Truth." Hiccup answered decisively. Truth was safer than dare, he supposed. Especially if Jack was asking.

Jack nodded and Merida rolled her eyes as if she expected as much. Rapunzel merely smiled and rolled over so that she laid her on stomach, her head propped on her hands. Her feet kicked back and forth as she watched with unbridled joy.

"What was your first kiss like?" Jack asked charitably. Good. They were starting small. Hiccup breathed a sigh of relief and smiled sheepishly. He felt his cheeks warm though why he was in the least bit embarrassed he couldn’t say why. Perhaps it was the liquor filling his head with mush.

"Oh, he’s blushing. Wee lamb." Merida cooed, snickering. Rapunzel averted her green eyes to the carpet, a small embarrassed smile on her lips as well.

"I was thirteen. It was with Astrid Hofferson. Well, she kissed me. Kind of took me by surprise, to be honest. But… It was nice. I know you were probably expecting some horror story but it was really cool." He sighed at the memory and Jack smiled, satisfied. Merida pressed her hands to her cheeks, grinning.

"That is ruddy adorable, Haddock. And Astrid Hofferson. Hic, she was a catch."

"Who’s Astrid Hofferson?" Rapunzel asked curiously though she looked a bit more timid than she did earlier.

"She used to live here when we were in middle school but she moved away just before high school. She was my first girlfriend. She was really cool." Hiccup stated wistfully, almost sadly. Rapunzel looked up at him sympathetically and Merida nodded her agreement.

"She was right cool. A lot cooler than you, that’s for sure." Merida stated with a snicker, snatching the vodka from Jack. She was, perhaps, the most tolerant of the four of them and was working her way to a better stupor.

"Haha, very funny. Well, I guess it’s my turn then isn’t it. Truth or dare, Merida." Hiccup grinned triumphantly. He’d have to think of a decent way to pay her back for that quip.

"Well, I’m not like you lily livers. I’ll take dare."

Jack laughed. “I wouldn’t expect any less.”

"You’re damn right. So, name your challenge, Haddock."

Hiccup considered a moment, gazing around the room for inspiration. “I dare you…” He trailed off, thinking. Merida smiled at him, raising an eyebrow as challenge. Hiccup spotted the pool outside and smiled to himself, snapping his fingers in triumph. “To take a little swim.”

Merida’s eyes flicked to the pool and her pale skin grew paler, her freckles standing out bright in the light of the pool house. It was a comfortable little pool house with warm yellow light that fell from a modest chandelier, plush carpet, and a set of padded lounge chairs. It wasn’t terribly cold outside but it wasn’t terribly warm either and Hiccup suspected the pool wouldn’t be much warmer either. “Are you bloody crazy? It’ll be freezing.”

"Are you ceding defeat?" Hiccup asked with a smile. He saw her expression harden. No, Merida would not back down from a challenge.

"Fine, Haddock. But just know, you’ll regret this later." She stood shakily and tramped out to the pool. The rest of them followed. Rapunzel seemed to sway a little as she walked.

"Watch and learn ya pansies." Merida proclaimed, standing over the deep end. She walked out onto the diving board fully clothed. She swayed before sobering and dived headfirst into the drink, making a big splash as she went. The three of them on land didn’t survive unscathed. Rapunzel shrieked and laughed and the boys grimaced though neither could hold the expression for very long. When Merida resurfaced she swam to the edge grinning like a fool. "Well, that was bracing! Are ya happy now? You gonna help a girl out of this mess?" She reached out her hand, an innocent smile playing on her lips.

He should have seen it coming, really. He chuckled and reached out to her offering hand to pull her out.

Jack called out. “Hiccup no!”

And instead got pulled in.

He fell into the swath of chlorine water with a violent splash. The water ran into his eyes and his nose and his mouth and he arose shivering and coughing, looking a bit like a drowned hamster. He spit water from his mouth and cleared his eyes to see Jack and Rapunzel doubled over with laughter. Merida was snickering and cackling like mad against the side of the pool. “Not funny.” Hiccup declared, his expression perturbed.

"Very funny." Merida breathed out between cackles. Rapunzel was practically rolling on the ground with laughter and Jack wasn’t far off either. Hiccups lips twitched but he refused to give them the satisfaction.

"Maybe a little bit funny."

The game continued with a dripping Merida and Hiccup. Hiccup continued to look a little bit like a drowned woodland animal but Merida seemed to become even more beautiful with her mess of red hair dripping down her back. It made it look almost tamed and she seemed to come out of the water with renewed vigor. She came out of the water ready for a fight.

She challenged Jack next with an attempt to climb the roof of the pool house. He did it effortlessly though when he returned he complained of getting bird poop between his toes. They all told him that he shouldn’t have climbed up there without his shoes if he didn’t want bird poop between his toes. Finally Jack rolled around to Rapunzel who was looking both excited and afraid. She took several swigs of liquid courage and sat up facing Jack with a surprising fearlessness.

"Alright Rapunzel, truth or dare." Jack’s smile was a bit too cocky for his own good. He’d taken several swigs upon returning back to earth as well though Hiccup had yet to see any color come to his cheeks.

She seemed to seriously debate the question for a moment as if it was the most important question in the world. “Dare.” She finally decided certainly, her face settling into a mask of assuredness.

Jack glanced around, debating. Hiccup caught that mischievous glint in his eye and sensed something was afoot. Though what it was, Hiccup couldn’t guess. Jack’s moods could be rather unpredictable.

"Do something you’ve never done before." Jack replied evenly, his jaw as set as Rapunzel’s was.

Merida threw up her hands unhappily. “That’s a right weak dare, Frost! She could do anything! She could go take a piss in the woods because she’s never done it before. Give her something bloody specific.” She redhead complained as she pulled strands of curly wet hair from her face.

Jack, however, didn’t take his eyes from Rapunzel. Hiccup could see the challenge in those blue irises and Hiccup wondered if Jack had noticed something he hadn’t. Rapunzel was flushed red and while she looked a little surprised she didn’t seem like she was going to back down. She looked down to consider, looking far more sober than she had several minutes ago.

Finally she looked up. “It’s fine, Merida. I’ve got it. But you’ve all got to promise you won’t judge me. And… Well, I’m sorry about this, but I’ve got to kill two birds with one stone.” Jack’s eyebrow went up with mild surprise while Hiccup’s drew together in utter confusion. Merida spoke Hiccup’s confusion completely.

"What’re you going on abo—" Rapunzel cut off the redhead by planting a chaste kiss on Merida’s lips. Rapunzel sat back, her face beet red.

The other three stared at her, utterly stunned. None more so than Merida who seemed to stutter in confusion. “I’m… That was unexpected.”

"I’m confused." Hiccup confessed, rubbing his head with his hand. Maybe the liquor was getting to him.

"You’ve never kissed a girl. It’s a bloody wonder I didn’t see it coming." Merida finally pronounced, a giddy smile slipping over her lips. "I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised." Rapunzel smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry I didn’t warn you." Rapunzel replied. Her face continued to remain bloody red.

"It’s not just that she’s never kissed a girl. It’s that she’s never kissed anyone. Merida just got Rapunzel’s first kiss." Jack pronounced with a laugh. And he didn’t stop laughing. Hiccup and Merida turned shocked looks back to Rapunzel who blushed even further and started giggling along with Jack. The two of them fell to pieces while Hiccup and Merida looked up at each other dumbstruck. Evidently they’d been left out of the joke from the beginning.

Finally, Merida recovered, laughing. “Well, I’m honored blondie.”

Rapunzel breathed out an answer between giggles. “I figured I’d get two crazy experiences out of the way in one go. I’ve still got so many to take care of.” She laid on her side on the carpet, tears falling from her eyes she was laughing so hard.

"You are my kind of girl, Rapunzel." Jack laughed, reaching over to fist bump the blonde. She chuckled and reciprocated.

The rest of the night proceeded in a similar manner. They continued playing truth or dare and occasionally someone would deem the challenge too absurd or the question too difficult so an item of clothing would be removed. Before the night was done Hiccup was stripped to his skivvies, Jack was without a shirt, and the girls were wearing their dresses about their waists. Merida wasn’t particularly shy about anything but Rapunzel blushed furiously every time anyone so much as glanced at her. Hiccup mostly wore a surly expression with periods of sheepish smiles.

The trials and questions grew more ridiculous the drunker they got and after a while they were too drunk and tired to get up so instead they asked questions. About life, the universe, and everything. And quietly, as the moon sunk lower and lower in the sky, the four of them began to fall asleep.


	12. Chapter 12

Merida stared up at the stars.

They spread out above her endlessly; so endless in fact she felt like she might fall into them and never return. They swirled and moved and constellations she once understood seemed unfathomable. New ones formed, beautiful and glistening, and at the center the moon watched over her like a careful guardian of the night.

She felt Rapunzel shift. The blonde had her head on Merida’s stomach, her strands of blonde hair fanning out over Merida’s midsection and onto the floor. Jack’s head lay on Rapunzel’s stomach and Merida could just make out her hand playing with strands of his silver hair. Hiccup lay between them, his head just an inch or so from Merida’s. She could have turned her head and brushed her nose against his cheek.

The air was warm and peaceful and Merida felt heavy with it. She felt lost in it, her mind drifting in and out of the stars.

Jack was saying something but she couldn’t remember what. Her mind was lost, buried in the vibrant red curls of her hair. Someone laughed and she giggled along with them, shaking her head and burying her nose in Hiccup’s hair. The air filled with their laughter; even her soul echoed with it. It was as if some trapped part of her had finally been released.

“You have such lovely hair, Jack. Is it naturally white?” Rapunzel spoke softly, it took Merida a moment to catch what she’d said. He chuckled and Merida felt it through all four of them.

“Yep. Not really sure how it happened.”

“Oh. Is it genetic?” Hiccup asked, his ear bumping into Merida’s as he turned to look at the silver-haired boy.

Jack shook his head and Rapunzel stifled a nervous giggle. “Sorry, that tickled.” She muttered, embarrassing. Merida snickered and playfully poked her in the shoulder.

Jack snorted and muttered an apology. “No. Not that I know of anyway. I… Well, I, um, when they found me I still had brown hair. It turned white after.”

Rapunzel cocked her head to look at him. “After what?”

Their breathing grew quiet and the sky above them seemed to darken just a shade. For a terrifying moment Merida thought it truly would swallow her up. Jack let out a nervous sigh and it seemed like the brightness and laughter had left the air. With that sigh he’d taken it with him. Merida wanted to claw it back. She didn’t know how.

“The cops found me down river. The ice had broken not long before and I washed up on the bank cold and blue and nearly dead. I didn’t wake up for weeks and by the time I woke up my hair had turned gray. Nobody had claimed me, I was a John Doe. But North had found me and paid to have me kept alive. I was nobody. And when I woke up, I couldn’t remember anything that happened. I still can’t. They called me Jack Frost because I’d survived severe hypothermia. That was three years ago.” The sky grew blue and heavy, the stars swirling like frost on a window. It was beautiful and terrible and Merida felt the cold constrict around her heart.

“Oh Jack.” Rapunzel breathed, her broken voice breaking the silence. She sat up, roughly pulling Jack into a tight hug. They sky shattered around them where they sat up, sunlight pouring in where their heads touched the moon.

And then there was crying.

The brilliant light of dawn washed over Merida’s face and her eyes shot open. The dream melted away like the constellations and she bolted up right. She and Hiccup still lay where they had the night before. Hiccup was struggling into the waking world. Jack was already standing, pulling on his shoes, his eyes wide with nervous energy. Merida whirled around, her pale eyes searching for the familiar blonde girl whose cries had woken her from slumber.

Rapunzel was standing pulling her dress back over her shoulders. She was dancing nervously, her face red and terrified. “Punz?” Merida began. Her mind hadn’t yet returned to the real world.

“I’m late. She’ll be up any minute. She’ll find out. I was supposed to be home an hour ago. What if she wakes up and I’m not there.”

Horror dawned on Merida. In a split second she launched into high gear. She pulled up her dress, picked up her car keys off the floor and stood. “Hiccup, get dressed. We’ve got a Homecoming Queen to save.” Hiccup finally sat up, alertness returning to his features. He pulled on his clothes and within three minutes they were sneaking quietly to Angus parked in the driveway.

They were stopped, very briefly, by Merida’s brothers. Hamish, Harris, and Hubert blocked their path and demanded favors for their silence. Merida had to promise several weeks worth of chore free afternoons before they’d let her past with her friends. Rapunzel was slowly losing her head so Merida figured it was a small price to pay for her friends’ survival.

Her friend. Rapunzel was undoubtedly her friend. She’d had to admit it as she broke speed limits driving back to the blonde’s hidden house in the woods. The house was several miles outside of town and buried in a thicket of tall trees and a carefully masked dirt road that was almost impossible to spot unless you already knew it was there. Merida parked Angus a mile down in a well-wooded driveway and they four of them hoofed it through the woods to Rapunzel’s home. The sun shone red against the horizon, and as it rose even further into the sky Rapunzel’s anxiety rose with it.

When they reached the house Merida and Rapunzel scaled the wall up into Rapunzel’s bedroom. Merida set to Rapunzel’s closet pulling out clothes and throwing them at the blonde girl to change into as quickly as possible. Rapunzel was stripped and pulling on pajamas before Hiccup’s head popped in through the window.

Jack was halfway through the window when the house began to stir. The four of them froze, terror on their faces. Rapunzel was still dolled to the nines, makeup smeared over her face. Her eyes filled with tears. “What do I do?” She trembled and looked at the door. Her mother would show up any moment to check on her.

Jack perked from the window. “Don’t worry about it. I’ve got it. Clean her up.” He announced, disappearing back to the ground. Merida looked at Hiccup, eyes wide and panicked.

"What the bloody hell is he doing?"

Hiccup shrugged. “I don’t know!” He went to the window and looked down at the ground. “He’s gone!”

Rage welled up in Merida and she thought perhaps he’d run off and left them to face Gothel themselves. Not that she had much time to think about it. She was srubbing makeup from Rapunzel’s face as quickly as she could. Rapunzel’s tears weren’t really helping the situation.

Footsteps followed through the house, approaching the bedroom quickly. Hiccup disappeared into Rapunzel’s closet and waved for Merida to hurry up and join him. Rapunzel nearly burst from her skin. “Please don’t leave me.” She muttered, trying to compose her face but failing. Merida wavered uncertainly before disappearing into the closet with Hiccup. They watched and listened through the slats in the door.

Rapunzel sat on the bed facing away from the door when Gothel entered.

"Morning my sweet!" The woman came in singing. She was beautiful, Merida had to give her that. But she was pulled tight, like she was much older than she looked. Elinor had a natural sweet beauty despite her age but Gothel had an alien beauty that made Merida uneasy. She gripped Hiccup’s arm, her nervousness mounting.

"Morning mother." Rapunzel replied, pulling her fingers through her hair to get out the tangles.

Gothel started to cross the room toward her daughter, her curly black hair flowing elegantly with each move she made. “Are you alright, Rapunzel?” Gothel asked offhand, checking her reflection in Rapunzel’s mirror. The woman reached out a hand to touch the girl’s shoulder. Merida gripped Hiccup’s arm tighter and he sucked in a pained breath.

The doorbell rang.

All four of them froze. Merida caught a glimpse of Rapunzel’s wide green eyes through the slats. She looked over at Hiccup whose eyes widened and his lips mouthed Jack in the darkness. The slightest of smiles crept up her cheeks.

Gothel straightened. “Someone’s at the door. Stay here, Rapunzel. Do not leave your room under any circumstances.” She swept from the room, slamming Rapunzel’s door behind her.

Merida popped her head out of the closet, grinning. Rapunzel stood from her bed, her face clearing of redness and tears to be replaced with confusion. “What is happening?”

"It’s Jack!" Merida whispered with delight.

"He’s creating a distraction!" Hiccup continued, his smile bright and excited. It spread to Rapunzel’s lips and she sobered up, hope a lively thing on her face. She and Merida went to the mirror and scrubbed the rest of her makeup from her face. By the time they stepped away, satisfied, Gothel’s footsteps were approaching again.

Merida and Hiccup disappeared back into the closet. Gothel entered looking nervous and fussed but when she looked on Rapunzel it seemed as if nothing was amiss. Rapunzel smiled. “Was someone at the door?” She lied effortlessly and Merida thought it was unnerving. She lied better than Merida did. She supposed Rapunzel had more at stake.

Gothel shifted uncomfortably, glancing behind her as if she might’ve been followed. “Yes. Some boy peddling something. I got rid of him.” She seemed to contemplate her words a moment. “Why don’t you relax this morning. I’ll make breakfast. Just… Don’t leave your room.” 

Rapunzel blinked innocently. “Yes mother. That’s very nice of you.” Gothel smiled uneasily and reached out to brush a strand of blonde hair from Rapunzel’s face. 

"Yes, I think you need the break, my sweet. You look very tired. You spend so much time here I don’t know why you look so tired." She chuckled. "I’m just kidding. I’ll come up with breakfast in a few minutes." She pecked Rapunzel on the brow and swept from the room. 

When Gothel’s footsteps had descended the stairs Merida let out a quite cry of triumph and jumped up to hug Hiccup. They laughed quietly in the closet until Rapunzel threw the door open and launched herself on them, burying her face between them. The three of them let out a sigh of breathless relief. They pulled away, laughing. 

Rapunzel’s eyes filled with grateful tears. “Thank you.” 

Merida pulled the blonde into another hug. “That’s what friends are for.” 

"Aw, did I miss the party?" Jack spoke from the window. He sat effortlessly in the window sill, a mocking smile on his pale lips. Merida broke away from Rapunzel and crossed to him, punching him in the shoulder. 

"I thought you’d ditched us!" 

Jack chuckled and rubbed at the spot where Merida hit him. “Of course I didn’t. What kind of person do you take me for.” He shook his head before getting tackled with a hug from Rapunzel. 

She was still brimming with tears. She buried her head in his neck and clung so tightly Merida feared she’d knock both of them out the window. Jack’s blue eyes opened wide in surprise though he returned the hug hesitantly and with a warm smile. “Thank you.” She whispered. She pulled away, her smile breaking into a silent laugh. 

"By the way." Jack started, shifting and pulling out an object from his back pocket. "You forgot this in the car." He held out the small plastic Homecoming crown. Rapunzel grew shocked and her hand went over her mouth. Her lip quivered and Merida thought she’d never seen someone look so grateful. Jack’s smile grew larger and he placed the little crown on her head. 

Hiccup seemed hesitant to break the mood. “I hate to say this but we should probably get going. Gothel will be back and we should probably get home so we don’t get into huge trouble too.” 

They all nodded though it took them several moments to finally say their goodbyes. They didn’t want to say goodbye to their night. It had been… Incredible. It was painful to allow time to move forward. The boys descended the trellis first. Merida was the last to leave. She paused on the trellis as Rapunzel leaned out the window to wave goodbye to them all. 

"Last night was amazing. I don’t know how I could ever begin to thank you all." Rapunzel called quietly. 

"No need, blondie." Jack called up. Hiccup helped Merida down the rest of the way. The three of them looked up at Rapunzel with painful smiles. 

"It was amazing for all of us." Merida continued Jack’s thought. She took his and Hiccup’s hands and squeezed. They all shared a smile. The moment lasted too long and wasn’t long enough. 

"You guys should get going. Before my mom comes back." Rapunzel said regretfully. 

"We’ll see you on Monday." Jack called. 

Rapunzel smiled down, the plastic crown glittering beautifully in the morning light. “I can’t wait.” 

Neither could Merida.


	13. Chapter 13

Monday morning was anticlimactic. As were the subsequent mornings after that. Nothing quite came as epic as homecoming night was. Not that the four of them didn’t try but they didn’t really get the chance.

It was that time of year and none of them could avoid it any longer: college applications.

Hiccup, Rapunzel had learned very quickly during their English class, had all but finished his college entrance applications months ago. Not that he wasn’t still stressing about it. He’d spent the better part of every English class studying for the SAT which he’d already taken a half dozen times. His math scores were through the roof, apparently, but his writing scores were lacking. Rapunzel had offered to help him through it more than once but he’d vehemently refused. It seemed like whenever they were with Jack and Merida everything was fine but if it was just her and Hiccup things got strained. Rapunzel couldn’t fathom why.

Merida was barely seen for after school activities largely because Elinor had been mandating that she stay home to entertain their guests from Scotland and so that she could foresee every college application Merida submitted. The redhead had been frequenting Rapunzel’s bedroom late every night just to get out of the house.

Rapunzel, in contrast, had felt quite at a loss when it came to college applications. Her mother had made it clear that she didn’t think Rapunzel was ready for college (not ready for anything, in fact) and Rapunzel had never really thought about it until now. She’d been too busy thinking about all the things she wanted to do as a high school student. College was a bigger step than she’d prepared for.

When she’d started out the semester she’d taken a Art I class. Her professor had been so impressed with her proficiency that he’d moved her into his AP Art class and he spent every subsequent day encouraging her to pursue a fine arts degree. Of course, her other professors were vying for her to apply Ivy League but Rapunzel was a little too overwhelmed to think about any of it.

A week after homecoming she sat with her head glued to the lunch table, her arms folded over her head.

"You okay, blondie?" Jack asked. Sandy sat next to him. The boys eyed the blonde girl curiously. Hiccup sat in the far corner, his nose in an SAT prep book. It seemed like he hadn’t moved from that spot all week. Merida was nowhere to be found. Presumably she was out smoking a cigarette.

"Mmmrph." Rapunzel replied, pulling strands of blonde hair over her face.

"Sorry, I didn’t catch that. You’ll have to speak a little louder. Preferably in a language known to the human race." Jack smirked, quirking a brow.

She lifted her head, defeated. “My teachers keep giving me college applications and I don’t know what to do with all of them. I don’t even know if I CAN go to college let alone what college I’d go to if I could.” She ran her hands through her locks and sighed.

"Doesn’t sound like a problem to me. I’d feel pretty lucky if I was getting college applications pushed at me." Jack shrugged, taking a hesitant bite of a sweet potato fry. He discarded it very quickly.

"I know. It’s just overwhelming. I’ve never had to deal with this kind of thing before." Rapunzel muttered, a little embarrassed. She felt herself go red as the words slipped out of her mouth. She’d been using that excuse a lot lately and she felt like it was starting to wear on her friends. She bookmarked it in her head, trying to remember not to say such things again. She was acclimating very well to the real world and she needed to stop using that excuse as some sort of fallback. 

"It’s overwhelming for everyone, Punz." Jack pointed out, reaching over to spoon some of her mashed potatoes off her tray. She hadn’t yet touched her food. 

"I know." She paused, burying her face in her hands. She sighed, discarding the negative thoughts. She’d get through it. She’d figure something out. She’d just have to look over things again later when she wasn’t so stressed about it. "Do you know what you’re going to do for college?" That was the golden question lately. She knew, rationally, that Jack probably hated hearing it but no one could seem to stop asking it. 

Jack straightened and looked a little uncomfortable. Sandy gave him a worried expression. “I don’t really know. I’ve never really though about it. I’m not really good at anything. I don’t even know if I’ll go to college.” 

Rapunzel nodded, tapping her chin. “Well, then maybe you should apply to a couple of colleges that offer a lot of programs. You can always decide not to go and if you do go you can try different things and maybe you’ll find something you really like to do.” She shrugged and splayed her hands uncertainly. It was the best advice she had. Sandy smiled and nodded, pointing at her to show his approval. 

Jack considered her words, glancing at Sandy for counsel. Despite being unable to speak, Jack usually listened to whatever Sandy said. The kid was wise for his years. “That’s not a bad idea. Maybe I’ll talk to North when I get home. That’s really good advice, Rapunzel.” Rapunzel grinned, glad to have helped. 

They were quickly and very rudely joined by Merida being escorted by a teacher. He was lecturing her quite vehemently waving the butt of a cigarette in her face. She was borderline screaming back at him trying to shake her arm from his grasp. He escorted her past their table and towards the doors to the hallway. Rapunzel stood. Jack did too, beginning to follow them. Hiccup seemed to notice the distress several seconds behind them and hesitantly rose from where he sat. 

"Excuse me, is there a problem?" Rapunzel said tentatively, falling in line with the teacher. She’d never had him before, though she thought perhaps he was one of the football coaches. She couldn’t have said for sure. 

"Rapunzel—" Merida started. The teacher cut her off. 

"Take a seat, miss, this doesn’t concern you." He replied curtly, continuing to pull Merida towards administration. 

"Mr. Nottingham." Jack said, appearing on his other side. "If Merida did anything to upset you, allow me to apologize for my friend’s poor behavior. She has a bit of an attitude." Merida cast him an annoyed glare. Mr. Nottingham didn’t seem phased. Instead he pushed Jack aside. 

"Very smooth, Frost, but she’s still coming to the office." Nottingham replied. Rapunzel stepped beside Jack and placed a worried hand on his arm. Merida was still struggling with the grasp on her upper arm and was shouting curses every two steps. 

Before any of them was aware of it, Hiccup was in front of Mr. Nottingham, a suspicious glare on his face. “What has Merida done, Mr. Nottingham?” 

Nottingham rolled back on his heels, as surprised as everyone else. “I caught her smoking out on the lawns. This is her third offense and I’ve got to contact Principal Lionheart and call her parents.” 

"He didn’t catch me with anything. I came out and he was bumming cigs off another student." Merida spat, her glare fierce and bright. She looked quite the lionheart herself. 

Hiccup grew quiet, considering. “Mr. Nottingham, regardless of whether or not Merida was indeed smoking on campus, I think it’s better if you release her now. Especially if we find someone else to corroborate her story. Adding a harassment accusation to that charge wouldn’t be so far off either.” He glanced pointedly at where Nottingham held Merida by the arm. Her skin was red with struggle; Rapunzel wouldn’t have been surprised if she had a bruise in the morning. 

Nottingham stared down at Hiccup. Hiccup, amazingly, didn’t look away. He was shorter and had far less authority but he didn’t move or waver from the teachers gaze. Instead he seemed to cock his head just slightly, a wordless challenge. Rapunzel felt her jaw go slack, her lips parting in surprise. 

Nottingham was the first to break eye contact. He glanced at Merida, releasing her arm. “If I catch you out there again it’s immediate suspension.” His words left his tongue uncertain and Rapunzel wondered if Merida had been telling the truth about the cigarettes. She’d find out for sure later. 

"And if I catch you, I’ll suspect the same." Merida muttered under her breath after Nottingham had gone. Jack and Rapunzel settled in next to her. Hiccup placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, his eyes falling on the faint bruise on her arm. 

"Are you okay?" 

She offered a weak smile. “Yeah.” She paused, studying his face. “That was bloody amazing. I didn’t know you could stick up to a teacher like that. You’re teachers pet.” 

"I didn’t know anyone could stick up to a teacher like that." Rapunzel echoed, amazed but unsettled. "I didn’t know you could stick up like that to anyone." The words applied more to herself than to anyone else, she thought. 

"Thanks, Hiccup." Merida continued. Her tone was perplexed and impressed. Jack clapped a hand on his shoulder, a broad and amazed smile on his lips. 

Hiccup seemed to contemplate his words a moment before glancing at Jack, then Merida, then Rapunzel, a slow smile spreading across his face. “That’s what friends are for.”


	14. Chapter 14

Jack was very frustrated. 

He laid on Merida’s bed, his SAT prep textbook suspended over his head. He was growing more and more incensed by the minute as the words and symbols blended together before his eyes. Finally, he gave up trying to decipher the value of x and let the book fall over his face, his arms flopping helplessly above his head. 

Rapunzel sat on the floor behind him, her hair cloaking her face. When she heard his defeated sigh, she looked up from her own textbook. “Problem, Jack?” 

"Mmrph." He replied. 

"Use your words." She pronounced like she often did to her chameleon Pascal who was surprisingly expressive for a lizard. 

Jack flipped over, deftly lying the book on the bed. He glared at her. “This book is full of pointless information. I feel like I’ve learned this stuff a hundred times and none of it has applied whatsoever to the real world.” 

"It’s not supposed to apply to the real world, it’s supposed to enhance your analytical reasoning skills." Hiccup said from his spot on Merida’s armchair. He looked quite comfortable with the SAT prep book in his lap and a pen in his hand. Evidently he was much further along than Jack was. 

"What if I don’t have analytical reasoning skills?"

"Everyone has analytical reasoning skills." Rapunzel stated kindly. 

It was at that moment that Merida burst into the room, her chest heaving and her hair in a tangle… Well, more so than usual. She was still in her archery uniform. 

"I thought you were going to change." Rapunzel noted curiously, looking pointedly at her attire. 

"I was." Merida replied, "but then I got bloody ambushed by my damn cousins. Well, not cousins, I should say. Family friends. They’re all stinking in love with me. And me mum loves it too. That’s why she’s always so excited when they come to visit." 

"How long are they supposed to be here? Haven’t they already been here for like, a month?" Hiccup noted with distaste, setting his book aside and leaning over his knees. 

"YES! I think mum thinks I’ll become some sort of trophy wife to one of them. Or that maybe all their ‘accomplishments’ will rub off on me. They’re all registered for ivy league institutions all over the world. They have yet to attend a bloody class though, so they might not be for long." Merida spat, flopping onto her bed next to Jack. 

Merida’s room was sparse. There was a great deal of sports equipment and pictures of her childhood. Jack thought her childhood looked lovely. There were photos of her as a small girl with her parents, laughing and smiling and looking generally devilish. There were photos of her playing with (or perhaps terrorizing) her baby brothers. There were photos from archery competitions and school dances, family photos and smiling photos and photos with friends. They were photos from every moment in her life. 

Jack felt an ache spread through his chest and quickly stifled it. 

"So are you lot still studying for this damn thing?" Merida lifted the SAT book with a look of revulsion. She held it like it stank very badly. 

"Trying to." Jack muttered, running a hand through his hair. 

"Succeeding." Hiccup shot them all a cherubic smile. He capped his pen. Jack shot him a look of utter loathing. 

"Trying or succeeding, I think it’s time you took a break. I think we ought to go over to the country club for a game of pool." 

"Do I sense a challenge?" Hiccup’s mouth twitched to an uncommon smile. Jack felt his own lips twitch with amusement. Rapunzel, however, didn’t look so certain. 

"Are you saying you want to put money on a game, Haddock?" Merida’s brow quirked and she let loose a devilish smile. 

"Might be that is what I’m saying." The brunette stood from the armchair and held out his hand for Merida to shake. They shook, like men, and before Jack was aware they were walking in the cool autumn weather towards the country club. 

The street was littered with Halloween decorations. The wind whipped at cobwebs, fallen leaves, and toppled carefully carved jack-o-lanterns. Rapunzel had been nervous about playing pool but now that she was out observing the decorations for the holiday that was just around the corner, she looked excited as usual. 

"My first Halloween!" Rapunzel squealed, dancing a little as they walked. The three others watching in amusement as she flitted about pointing out this and that with childlike glee. "I had almost forgotten. What am I going to dress up as? What are you guys going to dress up as? Do I get to go trick or treating?" 

"I haven’t dressed up for Halloween for years." Merida noted with a nervous laugh. She, perhaps more than any of them, had a hard time letting Rapunzel down. 

"Seriously? Besides April Fool’s day, it’s actually the best holiday ever made. Though, North might disagree with me." Jack chuckled. 

"Oh yeah! Last year didn’t you rig the hallways with a bunch of voice recorders to make people think the bathrooms were haunted? That was scary as hell, man." Hiccup laughed, blushing a little. 

"Caught you while your pants were down, didn’t I?" Jack asked. 

"Perhaps." 

They laughed, lazily walking through the autumn wind. “So, what are you going to do this year, Frost?” Merida asked, blatant curiosity leaking into her voice. Rapunzel skipped, walking backward. Jack could fell all their eyes taking him in eagerly. He didn’t usually divulge his secrets, but he couldn’t resist. Not when they were all watching him so attentively. He drank in the attention like a long starved man. He couldn’t escape the smile that came to his lips. 

"I’m thinking our school could use a healthy visit from the undead. You guys think you could help me out?" 

"I’D LOVE TO!" Rapunzel replied excitedly. 

"It would be an honor." Hiccup responded reverently. 

"Yeah, okay." Merida came with nonchalance but a hidden giddy smile. 

It was the first time Jack hadn’t felt lonely for as long as he could remember (however short that was). He hoped it wouldn’t be the last.


	15. Chapter 15

Hiccup wasn’t so sure about this, now that he thought about it. It had seemed like a good idea at the time, but the more he thought about it, the more he thought perhaps college recruits wouldn’t like seeing “illicit prankster” on his resume. His dad would probably be thrilled, though, so there was that. 

He sat at his mirror, looking up at the ceiling nervously. Rapunzel sat immediately in front of him, working studiously with a store bought makeup kit. Jack stood next to her studying the work she’d done to his face. It was quite impressive. He looked incredibly terrifying and if Hiccup didn’t know any better he’d suspect he really was one of the undead. His bright blue eyes made the whole ensemble that much more terrifying. 

Merida, however, was snoozing quite loudly from Hiccup’s muddled bed. Jack had spent the night and the girls had come over early that morning so that Rapunzel could do everyone’s makeup before school started. The sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon. Jack never seemed to have trouble with a lack of sleep; Hiccup often wondered if he slept at all. Rapunzel was the epitome of a morning person. Merida, however, was not. She’d showed up on Hiccup’s doorstep and almost immediately collapsed on his bed. 

"This is amazing, Rapunzel. Where’d you learn to do this?" Jack asked as he touched a rather gnarly looking gash on his forehead. It looked as if it was leaking maggots. 

She shrugged. “Books, I guess. I’ve always had a lot of free time on my hands. And, I dunno, it seemed like fun. I never got to go out trick or treating for Halloween, but I always dressed up anyways. I’ve got some pretty good pictures of me as a werewolf when I was twelve.” She chuckled, blushing. She leaned forward to examine a prosthetic on Hiccup’s face. Hiccup had to try very hard not to lean back. Her closeness made him incredibly uncomfortable. She was too damn perfect all the time. 

"You should wake up Merida. I’m almost done with Hiccup and I want to get everyone else done so I can get started on mine. We need to leave in about half an hour." Rapunzel stated, glancing at Hiccup’s alarm clock. In comparison to his friends’ rooms, his room was incredibly conservative. There were endless bookshelves, a modest desk with a few spare pictures. He had one wall with a few embarrassing posters from his childhood and another was covered in engineered sketches. 

Jack nodded and moved to the bed, reaching down a hand to shake Merida’s shoulder. She groaned and mechanically whacked him in the shoulder. “Ow!” Her eyes opened and locked with his face. She let out a terrified scream. 

Everyone froze, staring. Then Jack started laughing. Rapunzel hid a smile behind her hand and Hiccup broke down, tears streaming down his cheeks. Rapunzel let out a noise of worry, dabbing at the makeup on his face. 

"It’s not fucking funny." Merida whined, burying her head in Hiccup’s pillow and pulling his comforter over her face. 

"You’re right, it’s hilarious. You’re just too easy, princess." Jack laughed. 

"I’m not a princess!" 

"I thought you were a homecoming princess." Rapunzel asked dumbly as she fixed a few spots on Hiccup’s face. Jack snorted. 

"Not what I was… Oh forget it." Merida sat up, slapping her cheeks to rouse them from slumber. 

Rapunzel finished their makeup in record time and before they knew it they were all packed in Angus and heading to school. They intended to be “fashionably late” so that they might properly invade classes. They’d spent several hours the afternoon before to practice their perfect zombie run so that when security officers came after them they wouldn’t get caught. After all, Jack Frost had never been caught in one of his pranks. He wasn’t going to start now. 

Their plan was simple: tour through as many classes “attacking” people as possible. Rapunzel had done an impressive job: behind the makeup the four of them were virtually unrecognizable. She’d even managed to hide Jack’s hair, Merida’s hair, and her how vibrant blonde locks under hats, hair spray, and wigs. Apparently she had a lot of supplies lying around. Hiccup had no doubt in his mind that she’d had too much time on her hands in the past. 

They arrived to the school shortly after the first bell and split. Rapunzel and Merida had the first floor, Jack and Hiccup the second. They broke at the entrance hall and were soon running past classrooms to their selected starting points. They’d meet up in the boys bathroom on the first floor in an hour. If they made it that long. 

Hiccup’s first room was relatively successful.

He entered with a leer, taking the whole room by surprise. He spotted Jasmine and Al at the back. Jasmine screamed, catching the attention of their instructor, as Al burst into hysterical laughter. “What are you…” The instructor started, staring wide eyed at Zombie Hiccup. Hiccup cocked his head at the man, dead eyes taking him in before turning to look at Al. He shuffled over, grunting before grabbing the bigger boy’s arm and “taking a bite.” Al couldn’t stop laughing while Jasmine squealed and giggled next to him. The entire class was laughing by now. Hiccup stared dumb at all of them, shuffling back out. Even the instructor was laughing. Hiccup had a hard time keeping his own laughter in. 

His next few rooms were much the same. He terrorized Robin and Tuck, Cindy, Ana and Demetri, and Ariel as she tried to sing an aria in the choir room. 

His last room, however, was not so lucky. He shuffled into Mr. Nottingham’s classroom, jaw slack, leg dragging. The man was in the middle of a clearly boring lecture on banking and finance when Hiccup sauntered in. The class seemed to come to life, snickers coming from the very walls. Nottingham, however, didn’t look so amused. Instead his face formed into a distinct glare. “Haddock, what do you think you’re doing?” 

"Ruuurgghhh?" Hiccup replied, cocking his head. 

"Is this some kind of joke?" 

"Rurgh." Hiccup affirmed, shrugging. The class burst out into hysterics. Nottingham grew red in the face. 

"Haddock!" 

The idea of the zombie run didn’t seem like a good idea at that moment. Hiccup took off out the door at light speed, making immediately for their rendezvous point. If he was lucky, Nottingham would forget about it and continue teaching his class just like all the other teachers had. They’d gotten a kick out of it; why couldn’t he? 

Maybe because Hiccup threatened him with harassment charges. Right. 

Nottingham thundered after him. Hiccup had a good lead, but he’d still get caught whether he liked it or not. 

Hiccup disappeared down the stairs and skidded down hallways. He rounded a corner and spotted his friends standing in the doorway of the boys bathroom, stifling laughter. He waved his arms, gesturing them into the bathroom. They waved back, wearing wide smiles. He shook his head. “GET IN THE BATHROOM.” He mouthed, glancing behind him. He could hear Nottingham on his tail. 

They seemed to catch on and Merida shoved Jack and Rapunzel into the bathroom. They disappeared just as Nottingham rounded the corner, gaining on Hiccup. Hiccup came to the end of the hall, looking round and round for somewhere to run. There was nowhere. He turned back just in time to see Nottingham pull up in front of him. The elder man took him by the scruff of his shirt. “Thought you could run away?” 

"You caught me." Hiccup shrugged. He spotted Rapunzel’s head peeking around the door to the boys bathroom. He sent her a quick glare, hoping Nottingham wouldn’t notice. Luckily he didn’t. 

"You’re going to the principal. Disrupting my class for this tomfoolery? You certainly won’t be making valedictorian now." He began to drag Hiccup back toward the administration office. Hiccup looked back to see Rapunzel’s concerned face again peeking out through the crack in the door. 

"It’s no loss. It’s not like I was gonna get it in the first place."


	16. Chapter 16

Merida’s foot bobbed as she sat in the Haddock entryway. She felt rather uncomfortable under the eyes of the boar whose head was mounted rather spectacularly over the front door. She hadn’t noticed it when she’d walked into the house earlier that morning. She’d been much too tired and she’d been eager to commandeer Hiccup’s bed for her own. Now, however, she wasn’t the least bit tired. She was wired and it showed. Rapunzel sat next to her, hands folded quietly in her lap. Jack paced the floor in front of them, running his hands through his hair.

Stoick had been gracious enough to let them in when they’d arrived on his doorstep. He had been chatting rather animatedly on the telephone and he looked uncommonly pleased, practically brimming with pride under an unruly red beard. He’d ushered them in without pretense. His eyes had fallen over Merida and Rapunzel with appreciation and he’d even given Jack a slight nod as if he was impressed with the rabble his son was hanging out with these days. Not doubt he presumed Merida and Jack to be rough enough sports and Rapunzel was the girlfriend he’d invented for Hiccup. Hiccup had postulated these theories, but he could neither confirm nor deny their existence in reality.

They’d been waiting in the entryway for an hour. Stoick had stated it was fine if they went up to Hiccup’s room to wait, but none of them liked that idea very much. They were too uneasy, still dirty with costume makeup smeared across their faces. They’d washed most of it off after they’d gotten to the boys bathroom but there were still haunted rims around their eyes. Merida could no longer distinguish if they were from stress or from the makeup.

"How long will it be until he gets back?" Rapunzel asked meekly. Merida looked up at her, stretching out a hand to give the Rapunzel’s a gentle squeeze.

"Soon, Punz. He’s probably just walking home."

"I swear, if Nottingham could just take a fucking joke…" Jack started.

"Jack!" Rapunzel protested.

"No! No one else got mad at us. We didn’t do anything wrong!" Jack spat, frustrated. Merida watched him tense, his hands coming up to cover his face. He let out a groan and sat across from them, pulling his hood over his head. "This is my fault. I should have been the one taking the heat. It was my idea."

"Hiccup knew what he was doing, Jack. And we all wanted to be a part of it. It was bloody brilliant fun. Nottingham is just a royal cunt." Merida replied, shaking her head. There was no point in tearing themselves up about it.

Rapunzel blushed. “Sorry, Blondie.”

The front door opened, revealing a tired looking Hiccup still in full zombie regalia. He stopped in the doorway, surprise flickering across his dead face. “What are you guys doing here?”

Rapunzel was the first to stand. “We wanted to apologize. You got caught and we didn’t fess up and we should have. We should have all gotten a share of the punishment.” She held a chunk of her hair like she often did when she was nervous. Merida reached out a hand to steady the small girl, moving to stand beside her.

"How bad was it, Hic?" Merida asked, her expression dark.

Hiccup shook his head, waving his hands to placate that. “Stop, no, it’s not a big deal. I mean, I’ve got detention for two weeks but it’s not a huge deal. What’s the point in all of us suffering through that? Besides, in case you hadn’t noticed, stuff like this gets my dad off my back for a while.” He grinned sheepishly. It looked rather macabre under the makeup.

"So you’re not mad at us?" Jack asked. There was an odd vulnerability in his eyes that Merida found unsettling. Jack was the fun guy. Abruptly she recalled the story he’d told the night of homecoming and felt herself flush. How could she forget something so big? She imagined Jack had already lost so much; the idea of losing something again and knowing what it felt like to have… It seemed more painful than Merida could ever imagine.

"No, of course not." Hiccup assured them, chuckling.

Rapunzel sighed with relief. “We should get you cleaned up. I’m sure that makeup hasn’t been comfortable to be in all day.” She chuckled and took his hand to lead him into the hall bathroom. Hiccup looked at her hand clutching his uncertainly. Merida stood in the doorway, watching as Rapunzel abruptly pulled a prosthetic off Hiccup’s face. He let out a cry of surprise. Jack snickered behind her.

It wasn’t long before Hiccup’s face was fresh and clean and the four of them were lounging in his room discussing the highlights of their little escapade. Evidently, Rapunzel wasn’t a very good zombie. She was much too friendly and after scaring Alice in the middle of a biology class she immediately apologized. She had a hard time convincing Alice that she was alive and was not going to eat her. Of course, it wasn’t really her fault. Alice Underland was known for being totally baked 90% of the time. The other 10% she was nowhere to be found. Usually because she’d gotten lost somewhere on the way to school. 

Jack had a rather comical experience waking up a slumbering Sandy in his first class of the day. Sandy wasn’t an early riser and when Jack crept up behind him all zombified he’d awoke with a silent scream and he’d fallen out of his chair. He got a metaphorical whipping for it around lunch but the stout boy had laughed about it afterward and proceeded to recount his epic fall to Rapunzel, Merida, and Aurora in flamboyant fashion. Sandy then said he often contemplated work as a mime. 

Merida didn’t have quite so many exciting stories to tell, for which she felt a little ashamed. She was supposed to be the fearless one and yet she didn’t have squat to show for it. She’d scared a few people, but none so impressively as her companions. She found herself grow quiet, itching for something impressive to say. Words evaded her and she found herself zoning out.

"Merida? You all there?" Jack asked, waving a big hand in front of her face. She snapped to. 

"Yeah, sorry." She mumbled, flushing red. 

"You okay? You kind of spaced out there." Hiccup inquired, cocking his head from where he sat on the bed. Rapunzel laid next to him on her stomach. Jack sat across from her on the floor where Merida sat in Hiccup’s desk chair. 

"Oh yeah. I was just thinking. We should go on a trip." 

Hiccup looked surprised. “A trip?”

"A trip where?" Jack replied skeptically. 

"We should go skiing. Me mum and dad go every year. You all should come. It’d be fun. Get away from this ruddy place." She picked up a tarnished rubix cube (already solved) from Hiccup’s desk and began to twist it. 

Rapunzel looked sad. “You should do it. I bet you all would have fun.” 

"You’d come too, Blondie." 

"How?" 

Merida shrugged, tossing her the cube. Rapunzel caught it clumsily. “You’d figure it out. You’re bloody smart. If Hic can jimmy open a garage door, you can con your mum into disappearing for a few days so you can hang out with us. Besides, I need a holiday. And since me dad is bringing the extended family along, the least they can do is let me bring you all so I don’t off myself off a mountain.” 

"I’ll have to talk to North. Where do you usually go?" 

"Aspen." 

Jack huffed. “Figures. As long as you’re providing the housing, I’m in.” His grin was cherubic. “I just hope you’re prepared to get smoked on the slopes.” 

"Wouldn’t that melt the snow?" Rapunzel pointed out with a giggle. 

"Watch you puns, Blondie." Jack snickered. 

"What about you, Hic? You in for skiing?" Merida turned her head to the brunette boy. 

"Sure. I don’t know if you know this, but we Haddock men are northern men. Skiing is in our blood." 

"Yeah, well, we’ll see about that." Jack challenged. 

Merida clapped her hands together. “So it’s settled. The first week of winter break, before Christmas, we’re going to Aspen.” She cast an encouraging smile at Rapunzel. The blonde nodded, her jaw set, a fierce determination in her green eyes. It was the most determined the girl had ever looked. She liked seeing that look on her friend’s face. What could possibly go wrong?


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the delay guys! It was my first week of class so things have been hectic. But there's plenty to read to make up for it! :D

Rapunzel was proud of herself.

She’d somehow managed to fool her mother into taking a vacation while studying for the SATs. She’d cornered Gothel one evening after Gothel went out to the mailbox to get the mail, trudging out into the cold. When she returned, she sat at the counter and sorted through the bills and checks that Gothel mysteriously got. She always seemed a little happier after her pension checks arrived, though Rapunzel had never quite figured out where the money came from or what job Gothel might’ve had before she was born.

Rapunzel was preparing dinner, a recipe she’d been experimenting with over the weekend when Gothel wasn’t home. Rapunzel didn’t spend as much time at home now, but when Gothel disappeared without letting her know when she’d be back, Rapunzel would stay home. The risk of getting caught was too great. She wouldn’t have a repeat of homecoming, if she could help it.

Which was why she needed a better plan to keep Gothel out of the house. She’d gotten some travel brochures from Merida and hastily stuck them in the mailbox before Gothel got home from her usual trip into town.

Rapunzel watched Gothel as the black-haired woman sorted through the mail, smiling and frowning at appropriate intervals. By the time she happened upon the brochures, she had an odd look of confusion on her face. There was desire there, however. And where there was desire in Gothel there was usually a way to convince her into doing things she wasn’t usually keen on doing. Gothel did have a little flexibility, just not, apparently, where it counted.

"You look tired, mother." Rapunzel commented offhand, stirring taco meat in a skillet.

Gothel looked up, offended. “What do you mean?”

"I don’t know. I just think you’re working too hard. You seem stressed out."

"Do I?" Fear rose up into her cheeks and she pressed her hands to her face. "Perhaps I should get an appointment with Madame Bouche." Madame Bouche was her stylist and, subsequently, the woman who told her when she needed a face lift. Which was often.

"No, no, I don’t think that’s necessary. Maybe you just need a vacation." Rapunzel shrugged, her attention focused on the taco meat. She was careful not to look at the stack of mail in front of Gothel.

"A vacation?"

"Yeah. Get away for a few days. It’s not like I can’t take care of myself. You deserve a break from taking care of me, mother."

Gothel seemed to deliberate this a moment, her eyes scanning the miscellaneous brochures in front of her. “You know what, you’re right.”

"I am, aren’t I?" Rapunzel asked with a veil of satisfaction.

"I should go on a vacation."

"You should!"

"But when?"

"Next week!" Rapunzel declared, pulling taco fixings out of their refrigerator.

"Next week? You think?" Gothel seemed a touch uncertain though it was clear in her face that she desperately wanted to go.

"Definitely! The sooner, the better, don’t you think? Or those worry wrinkles will start to stick. Besides, it will give me time to work on your Christmas present." Rapunzel replied sweetly. Gothel melted, gushing.

"Oh, darling, you don’t have to… Well, if you’re already going to make me something you might as well. You’re so smart, I love you." She hopped off her stool and moved around the counter to place a quick kiss on Rapunzel’s forehead. The gesture was so sweet, Rapunzel almost felt bad about lying so blatantly to her mother.

The next day at school was something entirely different. Rapunzel’s internal conflict was best reflected, perhaps, in the SAT scores reflected by her friends. Rapunzel’s own scores were impressive. Perhaps a little weaker in the mathematics department, but her writing and reading skills were through the roof. Hiccup, in total contrast, had aced the math section and just scraped by in the English sections. Merida’s scores were rather pathetic in comparison to her friends and she spent the better part of their lunch period debating about how to hide her scores from her mother. She didn’t seem, however, as stressed as Jack who wouldn’t speak about his score but merely sat with his head in his arms. Sandy had tried many times to rouse him, but Jack would not be coerced into conversation. He was as cold as the frost now descending over town.

"Jack, you’ve got to talk to us at some point." Merida finally complained, her head propped on her fist.

"No I don’t." He replied testily, his face lost to a head of silver hair. Rapunzel giggled next to him, nudging him gently in the shoulder.

"Come on, Jack. Spill. It can’t be that bad."

Apparently, it was. Jack was quite smart but as long as he could remember (as short as that time was) he hadn’t tested well. It took him a while to get accustomed to tests and how they functioned so doing well on standardized tests had never been his forte. His scores were no where near college ready and there wasn’t time to take the test again before colleges stopped accepting applications.

Rapunzel seemed to ponder this. “Don’t panic, Jack. We’ll figure this out. A lot of places have rolling admission and if not you can take off a year to earn a little money and be better prepared for college after that. It’s not the end of the world.” She reasoned with a bright smile.

Jack grunted, nodding.

"Hey, if you need help, you can let me or Punz know. We’d be happy to help you, you know." Hiccup offered with an encouraging nod. Jack’s unhappiness settled a little. Rapunzel was endlessly optimistic but Hiccup was the voice was reason. If they were both there for him, he figured he’d be okay.

"Okay, not that this hasn’t been a very uplifting experience, but I think it’s time we discussed next week." Merida prompted, clapping her hands together. She’d offered Sandy a spot on their adventure but the boy had stated that he and Aurora were going South with his parents. Evidently things were going well with Aurora, something that Jack teased him about endlessly.

"What exactly is there to discuss?" Hiccup asked, his eyes scanning a AP Physics study guide. He was studying more and more recently and none of his friends could seem to figure out why. Even his fellow members of the science club (Milo, Audrey, Jane, etc.) thought he was working a little too hard. It seemed like he was trying to prove something, though no one could quite figure out what.

"Well, Punz, obviously. How is Operation Goose the Gothel going?"

Rapunzel grinned, pride beaming from every inch of her. “Excellent. Mother is leaving on Sunday for the Bahamas. She has a flight out at 11 in the morning.”

Merida clapped her hands together. “Excellent. Which means I want you boys at the house by one. We want to make Aspen by dinner time so we need to head out around two or three.”

"Are we driving?"

"I’m driving." Merida declared.

"In Angus?" Hiccup asked skeptically, his face going pale.

"Of course not! We’ll be taking me Dad’s range rover. Mum and the boys will already be up there."

"Is it cool if I bring my own gear?" Jack asked.

"Of course. Just so long as it fits." Merida replied with a grin.

Rapunzel squealed, her grin growing brighter with each passing second. “I’m so excited! I’m ready for finals to be over!”

"You and me both, Blondie." Merida commented with a dejected sigh. Her lips twitched into a smile as Rapunzel answered her with a trilling laugh. 

The rest of lunch, even the rest of the week, passed in a glorious manner. It flew by and Gothel was more than ecstatic to be getting out of the house. Rapunzel was even more cheery around her mother than usual and Gothel took it to mean that her gift was going to be spectacular. She informed Rapunzel that she would undoubtedly bring her back something special from the Bahamas. 

Rapunzel said she needn’t do that. Gothel getting out was all the gift she needed. 


	18. Chapter 18

Jack decided he didn’t like long car rides.

No, that wasn’t quite right. It wasn’t that he didn’t like car rides. He just didn’t like Hiccup and Merida arguing over the music every five minutes. Merida, interestingly enough, opted for a selection of alternative music (perhaps because it was the music her mother most despised) whereas Hiccup was a fan of dubstep and other electronic variations. Personally, he was a good ole rock and roll fan, but he wasn’t about to get between one of their arguments. Rapunzel chimed in at one point with some Mumford and Sons but the idea was quickly shot down. She’d even suggested some singalongs but the three of them had merely stared at her in utter revulsion. Breaking out into song was not something any of them was likely to do. Though, Jack would admit, Rapunzel had a lovely voice and could pull off a singalong much better than any of the others.

They hit snow all too quickly driving into the mountains. Despite being in the very capable range rover, their progress slowed to a crawl and it was well into the evening before the four of them arrived at the Dunbroch cabin.

When they exited the car into a fresh blanket of snow, Jack observed that the cabin was less of a cabin and more of an estate. It easily swallowed his little apartment with North. It easily swallowed the little hotel room they always reserved at the resort every year. This year, however, North had opted to spend their usual week working with kids at the pediatric unit at the hospital. Jack went with him often and was something of a hit with the children. It was a nice vacation for Jack from his recent school stresses and a good thing for the kids since they usually missed the both of them during the week before Christmas.

The inside of the place was even more impressive, warm and inviting and filled to the brim with modern appliances and preserved animals everywhere. They even had a bearskin carpet. He wasn’t sure if it was real and he didn’t feel like asking. Mostly he was just unnerved because it’s eyes had a tendency to follow him wherever he went.

Merida showed him and Hiccup their bedroom, a modest room with a bunkbed and a flat screen television against one wall. Jack was quick to claim the top bunk, much to Hiccup’s dismay. The girls bid them goodnight and disappeared into their own room down the hall.

Jack was surprised at how quickly he fell asleep on the top bunk, the light of the moon peeking through the window.

He awoke too soon it seemed the next morning to Rapunzel’s face in front of his. Hiccup was roused and tottering weakly toward the bathroom. Rapunzel, as per usual, was beaming and excited, fully dressed in some snow gear lent to her by Merida. When the sun rose, Rapunzel rose with it. “Come on, it’s time to get up. It’s past ten.” Rapunzel prompted, grinning. She was practically bouncing on the bunk bed ladder.

Jack laughed, still muddled with sleep. “Okay, okay. Just give me a second to get my bearings. Is Merida up?” He knew the answer but he thought it prompt to ask.

"Of course not. I might need your help." Rapunzel glanced out the bedroom door skeptically.

After Jack had dressed, the three of them found themselves in the girls’ room staring down at a slumbering Merida. The bedroom was larger than the boys’ room and had a king sized bed instead of bunkbeds. Evidently this was Merida’s usual room every winter and was strewn with memories and mess. The subject in question was sprawled out across the bed, tangled in sheets and curls of wild red hair. She was snoring quite loudly. Hiccup prodded at her form amidst the chaos but Merida only responded by snoring louder.

"We need a plan of attack." Hiccup stated thoughtfully, tapping his chin. Rapunzel glanced between them, at a loss.

"I got this." Jack replied. He reached into the bed, hoisting Merida out bridal style. "Get the front door, would you?" Hiccup caught on fast and a grin spread out across his lips. He ran to hold the door open for Jack and the sleeping Merida. Rapunzel trailed after, utterly confused.

"What are you doing?" Rapunzel asked, clutching at the braid she’d made of her long blonde hair.

"You’ll see." Jack replied, stepping out with a pajama-clothed Merida into the snow. His boots crunched on the porch and out into the yard until he found a particularly thick snow drift. Hiccup pulled up beside him, containing snickers. Merida gargled loudly, head limp against Jack’s shoulder. Jack looked at Hiccup, then Rapunzel. "One… Two… Three!" He tossed her gently into the snow drift, watching as she awoke midair and fell screaming into the pad of white. Hiccup broke out cackling. Jack stood back, grinning. And Rapunzel tried to hide her laugh behind a small hand. Merida emerged the drift glaring, her hair wet with snow. She shivered, but the heat of her anger seemed to warm her up quite substantially.

"Jack Frost, I swear I’m gonna deck you so hard you’re gonna wish you had rubber for bones!"

She didn’t end up hitting him, though she did take a hot shower that lasted for a good hour. Not that Jack could blame her. While they waited, the rest of them watched movies on the big screen in the living room. The triplets had careened through at one point covered in snow, but so far as they could see, the rest of the Dunbroch family was nowhere to be found.

By the time the four of them finally did get out onto the slopes it was well into the afternoon. Jack unloaded his snowboard from the range rover and was gone as soon as it touched the snow. To say he was a talented snowboarder was a bit of an understatement. He wasn’t sure where he’d gotten it, but when North had brought him up into the mountains to go skiing for the first time, he’d taken to it like a fish in water. He’d considered snowboarding professionally but he didn’t particularly like competition. It took all the fun out of it.

Hiccup wasn’t a bad skier either. Merida wasn’t fantastic, though she held up well enough that Jack was convinced she’d been skiing for quite some time. Rapunzel however… Well, she was rather helpless. Where Rapunzel excelled at virtually everything else she did, skiing and snowboarding were not things she was like to take to. While the other three sliced through perfect drifts, Rapunzel stayed with a group of kids who were being taught by a ski instructor. Not that she seemed to mind. She seemed to be having a lot of fun with the children.

Finally Jack headed back up the slope and arrived to find the instructor was allowing the kids to try a small slope on their own. Rapunzel was sat in the snow attempting to strap her skis to her boots. It was proving to be a rather futile effort. Merida and Hiccup were just getting off the ski lift when Jack crouched down to help her.

"Need some help?"

Rapunzel looked up from her dutiful work, blushing and smiling sheepishly. “A little.”

He strapped her in and then offered his hands to hoist her up. He pulled her to her feet and then moved away. “Try it.” He encouraged, cocking his head toward the slope. Rapunzel nodded, determined, then spurred at the snow to propel her forward. “Good.” He noted with a small smile as she cautiously coaxed forward. The children were watching, offering encouragements to Ms. Punzel. Merida and Hiccup added to the crowd and before Jack knew it they were all shouting things to Rapunzel who was cautiously sliding down the small slope.

But Jack was the first to see it. She was going too fast on a turn and she was clearly drunk with the shouts of encouragement behind her. “Rapunzel, slow down!” She heard too late as she skidded out of the turn and flopped face first into a drift of snow. Jack didn’t think. He strapped his board to his boots and was off down the slope. The snow flew up at his stop and he unstrapped from the board, peering into the drift for a sign of the bubbly blonde.

He heard Hiccup and Merida slide in beside him. “Punz? Are you okay?” Merida asked, worry threading through her voice. There was no response.

"Rapunzel?" Jack asked tentatively, leaning over the drift for a better look. A trembling gloved hand peeked out of the snow, fingers flexing weakly. "Rapunzel!" He grabbed at her hand, reaching to pull her up.

Instead he was pulled roughly into the drift, patches of snow closing in around him. He heard the distant cry of Merida. He flailed in the snow, sitting up to see Rapunzel giggling as she took in Jack’s snow-dappled form half buried in white. “That was low.” He stated, trying to hide his smile.

"I learned from the best."


	19. Chapter 19

Hiccup was really drunk. 

Perhaps the drunkest he’d ever been. He’d been cutting it pretty close at Homecoming, but this was a whole different level. Merida had brought more alcohol than he’d ever seen and his father had a pretty impressive liquor cabinet back at the house. Where she’d gotten most of this alcohol she wouldn’t say, only that she had sources in odd places. She’d brought vodka, jaeger, bourbon, and beer. She had gin, rum, whiskey, and tequila. She’d also brought a number of mixers.

Rapunzel certainly went through a number of firsts that night. 

It was, perhaps, their third night in the mountains. Hiccup was so drunk, he was beginning to lose time. He remembered things in flashes and patches; all he really knew was that he was having more fun than he’d thought possible. The Dunbroch’s had a hot tub out on the porch, specially prepared for them that evening. Elinor and Fergus were out having dinner and the boys were heavily preoccupied with a video game Hiccup had bought them for the occasion. Not to mention Jack easily distracted the triplets when they came a knocking (usually to spy on Rapunzel who, Hiccup suspected, they had a teensy bit of a crush on; he couldn’t say he blamed them). 

He couldn’t quite remember what was said between them throughout the night. There were lots of secrets divulged, most of them stupid and inane like their favorite color, most embarrassing moment, the last time they’d had a decent cheeseburger. There were also strange moments where Jack demonstrated his flawless acrobatics and his ability to stand in the snow in nothing but his bathing suit for more than half an hour without freezing his toes off. Hiccup theorized, somewhere in the back of his muddled brain, that perhaps being dragged from a frozen river had turned Jack into some sort of superhero. 

Rapunzel had sampled every type of alcohol Merida had brought and was visiting the porcelain throne for the first time. Merida held her hair and stroked her back. Jack got her a glass of water and carried her back into the living room when she’d purged the toxin from her system. She seemed giddy with the ridiculousness of it all, despite having thrown up. At one point she was crying with laughter, her smile heartbreaking because, despite getting sick, she was experiencing these things with people she cared about, people who took care of her. And for a brief moment, Hiccup let all his resentment at her perfection slip away. She was beautiful and she was a child and she loved them completely. 

They settled in the living room with the big screen playing music throughout the room. Hiccup was collapsed against the foot of the couch nursing a bottle of gin he didn’t know he’d had. He couldn’t taste it anymore. Merida sat across from him next to Jack chugging a handle of whiskey. It was, evidently, her drink of choice. Hiccup wasn’t in the least bit surprised. Jack was contemplating the bottle of vodka in his hands. 

Rapunzel, however, was tinkering with the remote. Vomiting had gotten the worst of it out of her system. She was downing glasses of water at the speed of light and regaining her bearings faster than Hiccup was. He contemplated the idea of getting sick himself. She was tiptoeing to the music, switching songs every five seconds until she found something she liked. 

Finally she settled on a Christmas song, Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You.” Not the song that Hiccup would have chosen, but Rapunzel rocked it. Or at least, Hiccup thought she rocked it. He couldn’t quite remember. 

She danced along to it, pulling Merida up to dance with her. Merida was less graceful when she was drunk and instead clung to Rapunzel’s shoulders as they swayed back and forth. She planted an affectionate kiss on Rapunzel’s cheek, the two girls laughing for miles. Rapunzel, never to leave anyone out, hoisted Jack off the floor. He seemed reluctant but didn’t put up too much of a fight. Before Hiccup knew it they were singing along with the song as well (much worse than Rapunzel was, that was for sure). Rapunzel hoisted him off the floor after that and they were dancing like mad. Hiccup wasn’t even sure if he sang the words so much as yelled a lot, but he was having fun. 

They fell to their knees laughing. “Oi, I’m bloody tired.” Merida said, clutching her stomach. She slumped, her words slurring together in a rather comical manner. She was even harder to understand than usual, which was certainly saying something. 

"Mmm, no. It’s barely midnight." Rapunzel said, pointing in a very poor fashion to the digital clock on the television. She was right, it was only a few minutes after midnight. The night was young and they were very very drunk. 

Rapunzel was draped over Hiccup’s lap, struggling to reach the bottle of vodka Jack had abandoned on the floor. He graciously picked it up and handed it to her. She muttered a blurred thank you and took a swig, tendrils of wet blonde hair trailing out over the carpet. Merida was crookedly propped on one elbow, Jack watching Rapunzel next to her. 

"You okay, Punz?" He asked, cocking his head at the girl. Rapunzel murmured an assent, giggling as she rolled from Hiccup’s lap to the floor, staring up at the ceiling with an impenetrable grin. 

"I love you guys." She said quietly, her eyes seeming to sober beyond the glaze. "You’re the best thing that ever happened to me." Her voice grew thick and she reached up, her elbows covering her face and the fresh tears welling in her eyes. Merida made a cooing sound, leaning over to pull the blonde’s arms from her face and plant a chaste kiss on her forehead. 

"We love you too, Punz." 

"Really?" Rapunzel said through a choked throat, her face turning a violent red. 

"Of course." Jack assured with an encouraging laugh, reaching down to grip one of Rapunzel’s hands. She squeezed it and sat up, taking deep breaths to regain her composure. 

"I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me." She giggled, brushing tear drops from her cheeks. She had a tendency to apologize for being anything other than her bubbly self. It was easy to forget beyond that endless optimism was someone who was alienated from the entire world her whole life. It made Hiccup sick to his stomach to think about. 

Merida sat back, pulling Rapunzel toward her so that she could braid her hair. It was still a little damp from the hot tub. Merida’s own locks were pulled up into a very unconventional ponytail. The tie looked like it might snap at any moment. Merida wasn’t very good at braiding hair either, but somehow the mismatched braid still looked beautiful on Rapunzel. 

Jack gently took the bottle of vodka from Rapunzel’s hands, taking a swig of it himself. He stared at the clear liquid within, his lips smacking together loudly. “Do you ever wonder how different our lives would have been if we hadn’t gotten locked in Jasmine’s garage?” 

Stillness settled over them. Merida paused, locks of blonde hair twined between her fingers. “All the time.” She muttered quietly, slowly pulling the strands together. 

"I wouldn’t be here." Rapunzel stated solidly, reaching up for a lock of hair only to let her hands fall back into her lap. Her hair was occupied, her safety blanket taken away. 

"Things would have been the same." Hiccup spoke. He wasn’t sure where the words came from because he couldn’t remember thinking them up. They just spilled out of his mouth, his brow pulling together at thoughts he didn’t know he had. "But different. Less. Less something. I don’t know. There’s a word there." 

"Less like home." Merida said, tying up Rapunzel’s braid and tossing it over the blonde’s shoulder. Rapunzel immediately began to stroke it, a nervous tick. Merida set her head on Rapunzel’s shoulder, her expression thoughtful. 

They sat quiet for a moment, merely soaking in each other’s company. None of them could pinpoint the feeling, the wholeness they felt when they were together. Like a puzzle had been completed and the wrongness they felt when they were too long apart. Thoughts drifted through addled minds of the future, of graduation, of all the things they’d done wrong in their lives thus far. 

But it seemed like, together, they could conquer all. 


	20. Chapter 20

Merida was pleased as peaches. 

Not the first phrase she would have chosen, but it was fairly accurate. She’d awoken with a bit of a hangover but had nursed it with a banana and a hefty glass of water (along with several ibuprofen pills she’d brought in her luggage). Surprisingly enough, she was the first to wake to the light of the rising sun. Rapunzel was delicately curled up on the bed, softly snoring away the hangover she would undoubtedly had. The little blonde had drunk more than her fill the previous night and had purged herself many times. Merida was not such a lightweight and while she consumed approximately the same amount hadn’t needed to purge the way Rapunzel had. She felt guilty, but as far as she knew Rapunzel had fun which was all the mattered. 

Jack was the next to wake up, shuffling out into the living room where Merida was flopped on the couch eating a cereal bar. 

"Morning, sunshine." She greeted. 

"Morn." Jack replied curtly, rubbing sleep and headaches from his face. 

"Hangover?" 

"Uhm." He affirmed, flopping down next to her, his head falling over the back of the couch. Dressed in pajama bottoms and a thick blue sweatshirt, he looked properly mussed. She picked up the ibuprofen off the side table and offered it to him. 

"For your wee addled head." 

He lifted his head, taking the bottle. “Thanks. Is Punz up?” She shook her head. “Damn. Poor thing.” He chuckled. 

"Her first hangover." 

"You’re a bad influence." 

She grinned. “I know.” 

"Listen, I’m gonna take a shower and hit the slopes." He patted her knee and stood, popping the cap off the pill bottle and downing two or three at once. 

"You think that’s a good idea? You look bloody zonked." 

He grinned and shrugged. “The cold clears my head. I’ll meet you guys later.” He assured her and disappeared. 

Not too long after Rapunzel crawled from their bedroom, her pajamas crumpled. Somehow, though Merida couldn’t fathom how, she still looked terribly beautiful. The girl was like sunshine. She yawned and clutched at her head, red rims under her eyes. “Good morning.” 

"Morning, Blondie. I think the apocalypse has come cus I’m up before you." She grinned. 

"Perhaps it has." Rapunzel chuckled and stood over Merida, contemplating sitting down. 

Merida offered Rapunzel the pill bottle like she had Jack and glanced at the boys bedroom curiously. “I’m thinking I might go wake Hic. We should hit the slopes. Jack’s already bloody out there like a mad man. I swear, it’s like he was the abominable snowman or something.” 

"What time is it?" Rapunzel asked, picking up Merida’s water to swallow the pills. 

Merida shrugged. “A little after eleven. Why?” 

Rapunzel nearly choked on her water, setting it down and fanning her face. “I’m late!” 

Merida’s brow pulled together. “Late for what?” 

"I told the ski kids I’d meet them to help them build a snowman!" She ran into their bedroom to dress. 

"A bunch of kids can build their own snowman." 

Merida heard an exasperated sigh. “But I promised them I would go! I can’t break my promise. Why don’t you wake up Hiccup and you can meet me out there? Or you can find Jack and I’ll meet up with you later.” 

"You’re strangely independent sometimes." 

Rapunzel’s head popped out of the bedroom, grinning. “Thank you.” 

Merida woke Hiccup and by the time they were outside it was well past one. The sky was blue and bright and beautiful. It seemed to mock Hiccup’s hangover which was rather substantial. He wore a sour look all the way up the ski lift. “You know if you keep that up your face will get stuck like that.” 

"I hate you." 

"You’re the one that polished off that bottle of gin. I had no part in it." He leveled a glare at her but Merida laughed and pecked him on the cheek. "Lighten up, Hic. It’s a beautiful day and we only have one more day here. We should enjoy it to the fullest." 

Hiccup softened but his sardonic tone remained. “I think I already did.” 

"Isn’t that the truth."

They exited the lift and rode down the slopes a few times though they didn’t happen upon Rapunzel or Jack. Both Hiccup and Jack were more accustomed to more difficult slopes. Jack could have been miles ahead of them but it was likely that Rapunzel was still with the children on the beginners slopes. They vowed to go searched for her once they found Jack. 

Hiccup had never struck Merida as a particularly coordinated person, but he excelled quite well on skis. He was better than she was. Of course, Merida wasn’t a spectacular skier, but she was generally very athletic and could usually hold her own in whatever sport she tried. But on the slopes, Hiccup was undoubtedly kicking her ass. 

They slid to a stop at the end of a long slope and Merida removed her glasses. “Where do you and your Da ski? I’ve never seen you here. You’re really bloody good.” 

Hiccup pulled off his own glasses and the scarf around his face. She couldn’t tell if the red in his cheeks was from the cold or if the brunette boy was blushing. “We usually fly out to the Alps. Dad’s got a place out there. Closer to the family heritage I guess. Not close enough, but apparently he gets a discount on cabin rental there. We’ve got family in Norway that always comes down to visit. Distant family, but family.” 

"You got any pointers for a less seasoned skier?" She grinned wickedly. 

"I don’t think I could train such a hopeless pupil." 

She punched him in the shoulder. He laughed and rubbed at the spot. “Okay, okay. You just need to gun the turns a little more. You go a little slow, like you’re afraid of them.” 

She chokes. “Auf—I am not bloody afraid.” 

He holds up his hands in supplication. “Hey, you asked.” She crosses her arms over her chest deliberating before nodding and donning her goggles. 

"Okay. I’ll go bloody faster. But if I wipe out you’re the one that is dragging me back to the cabin, you got it." 

Hiccup laughed. “Fair enough.” They continued down the hill, Hiccup watching Merida’s form as they zipped down hill and dale, past trees and trail markers and other skiers. Merida, to her credit, took direction very well and was soon speeding along at pace with Hiccup. They circled each other more than once, vying for power before they reached the bottom of the hill neck and neck. Laughing with adrenaline and competition, Merida removed her goggles and offered Hiccup a high five. He returned it. “You didn’t wipe out!” 

"You’re damn right I didn’t!" 

They followed the trail leading to each successive trail end in search of Jack. It was getting late in the afternoon and they had to be back for a big dinner at the resort ballroom with Merida’s family. They pasted trail end after trail end to no avail. There was no sign of the silver-haired teen and the two of them were beginning to get worried. “Why don’t we go get Rapunzel and then we’ll look for Jack a bit more.” Hiccup suggesting, gripping Merida’s shoulders and steering her back toward the easy slopes. 

Surprisingly enough they found both Jack and Rapunzel deep in construction with a group of six or seven kids as they built a rather impressive igloo. The kids circled and played, tossing snowballs at Jack occasionally and asking timid questions to Rapunzel. Jack, evidently, was in charge of the blocks of snow serving as the walls while Rapunzel stuck to the aesthetics, creating snow flowers for the snow windows and snow pies to stick in the snow oven. Before either of them was aware, the kids were calling them Mommy and Daddy and pretending to be their children in the little ice house. 

Hiccup and Merida peeked in through one of the windows just as a small girl in pigtails was begging Father Jack for a piggyback ride. “So this is what you two have been up to. And we weren’t even invited to the wedding.” Merida commented, peeking into the igloo. 

Rapunzel blushed where she sat with a little girl of seven in her lap. A boy next to her was attempting to form snow flowers to match the ones Rapunzel had made. “We got a little caught up.” 

"I can see that." Hiccup commented. "How you doing Jack?" 

Jack looked up from where he crouched with the pigtailed girl on his back. There wasn’t much room to piggyback but the girl nor Jack seemed to mind. She was giggling like mad. Jack grinned, glancing at the child clinging to his shoulders. “I’m good. How was your afternoon?” 

"Not as interesting as yours, apparently." Merida snickered, waving uncertainly at a little boy who was staring at her tangle of red hair in complete consternation. 

"Your hair defies gravity." The child muttered, eyes wide and jaw slack. "Are you an alien?" 

Merida’s face flushed red. “No, I’m not a blo—-” Hiccup silenced her with a hand and grinned down at the child. 

"She’s undercover. It’s our little secret." He winks at the boy. 

The kid responds with a tiny nod, awe plastered across his cheeks. “Whoa.” 

"Look, guys, we gotta get going. Dinner is in an hour and we need to get dressed." Hiccup prompted, soothing Merida’s annoyance with a pat to her head. She glared at him and then at the little boy who was still staring at her. 

"Oh! I almost forgot. Sorry guys. We’ve got to get going." Rapunzel cried, lifting the little girl from her lap and standing in what little space was left in the igloo. 

"NOOO!!!!" The children cried in unison. Jack disentangled the little girl from his back and set her on the floor of the igloo. 

"Hey, no arguing with Miss Punzel. Everybody out." Jack ordered, laughing. 

They all groaned but marched dejectedly back out into the snow. Jack and Rapunzel crawled back into the sun, red faced and grinning. “Sorry. They got kind of attached.” Rapunzel apologized, biting her lip. 

"I think attached is an understatement." Hiccup noted, nodding distastefully at a little boy who was now clinging to Rapunzel’s leg. 


	21. Chapter 21

Rapunzel had to admit, she was rather impressed with her own work. 

Getting Merida ready had proved quite the task but she’d sworn that she was up to it. The dinner they were attending was black tie, some special event catered by the resort and anyone and everyone was invited so long as they bought the ridiculously expensive tickets. Elinor and Fergus had payed for all the kids tickets and Rapunzel had spent a good ten minutes thanking Elinor. She’d even offered to make breakfast for the triplets in the morning before they left back to town. Elinor hadn’t turned her down and had even noted to Merida that she could take a page out of Rapunzel’s book. Merida had scoffed at the suggestion, but smiled at the over eager Rapunzel nevertheless. 

Rapunzel had spent the previous week working on the dresses that she and Merida would wear to the event. Merida had paid for the fabric but Rapunzel had slaved over the patterns. How she’d done it between studying for finals and packing for the week, Merida could not figure out. 

For herself, Rapunzel had constructed a modest dress in baby pink, strapless with a sweetheart neckline and silk flowing down her legs in a beautiful wave. Merida lent her a necklace and Rapunzel had braided threads of ribbon into her hair to complete the look. The braid sat over one shoulder, twisting down to her waist. 

Merida’s dress had been a bit harder to come up with. Merida didn’t like wearing dresses in the first place and she’d been fickle about what color she would be okay with wearing. At first she’d sided with deep green, then a dark almost-black blue. Finally she’d settled on a light blue that complemented her eyes. Albeit she did so grudgingly. She kept muttering about how it was a miracle she was getting into a dress in the first place. 

Amazingly, it had fit her like a glove. Rapunzel was a well seasoned seamstress and the simple gown had complemented her figure quite well. Her hair, however, was another matter entirely. Rapunzel spent the majority of the hour back at the house brushing and straightening like her life depended on it. Somehow (perhaps with a little bit of magic) she’d gotten Merida’s wild locks under control and they were twisted into an elegant side curl. Still, a little curl hung out over her face but, Rapunzel thought, it quite suited her. 

When they emerged into the living room to drive over to the resort, the boys were already waiting. Jack was dressed in an ill-fitting tuxedo, though he still managed to look rather adorable, if a little uncomfortable. Hiccup’s tux looked like it fit, but he was fidgeting with it more than necessary. They looked up from a video game and found themselves staring, jaws slack, at the two girls in evening gowns. 

"You uh…" Hiccup started. 

"What he said." Jack gestured vaguely in the direction of Hiccup. 

Rapunzel giggled. “Thank you.” 

"You can stop drooling now, Hic." Merida said, tipping his jaw closed with her hand. His head snapped up and he was back to glaring. It was business as usual. "Come on boys, it’s time to get your slack-jawed selves to dinner." 

Rapunzel giggled and the boys turned off the television and stood to follow them out to the car. “You look nice.” Jack finally said to the girls as he held the door open for them out into the snow. Rapunzel smiled and Merida rolled her eyes, though she looked rather pleased at the compliment. 

The triplets ran past them in tuxes, screaming as they battled for prime seats in the Dunbroch SUV. “Boys! Behave yourselves! We’re seeing people.” Elinor called in irritation, fidgeting with her bun. Fergus appeared behind her, laughing. He circled her waist and planted a soothing kiss to her forehead. 

"Calm down, Lass. They’re just being boys." Elinor smiled meakly. 

"That’s what you always say." 

"Must be true." Fergus grinned and helped her into the SUV. He turned to Merida and Rapunzel, taking in his daughter with a look of utter shock. "You look…" 

"Don’t, Dad." Merida held up a hand. 

"Beautiful." He finished, kissing her on the forehead. He opened the door to the range rover and helped her in, then helped Rapunzel into the back. The boys climbed in and before they knew it they were parked and strolling into the lodge. 

People in gowns and tuxes milled about, standing in front of the doors to the ballroom. Elinor ushered the boys along, snapping at them multiple times not to mess with the guests. They didn’t really listen and Rapunzel caught them playing small pranks as they went along. She had to hide her smile from Elinor. 

The ballroom was thick with people at the tables and on the dance floor. A beautiful waltz trilled through the room and couples old and new swayed to the music. The Dunbroch family found their table and were soon served heaping portions of potatoes, greens, soup, salad, and several meats that Rapunzel had never had the opportunity to have: buffalo and elk and even a little moose. She thought perhaps she should make an official list of all the things she hadn’t done yet and start crossing things off. But then, she thought, most people didn’t live their life with a checklist. 

"This is an incredible meal, Mr. and Mrs. Dunbroch. I don’t know how to thank you enough." Jack said at one point during the meal, contemplating his second course. He looked genuinely grateful, his smile sweet over his misfit tuxedo. 

"It’s no trouble, Jackson. It was our pleasure." Elinor replied graciously as she cast a glare at Hamish who was pulling a slingshot from his pocket. He swiftly hid it away. She looked at Merida and sent a nod of approval towards Jack. "You have very nice friends these days, Merida." 

Merida shifted uncomfortably. “Thanks, Mum.” 

It was at that moment that the extended “family” appeared. MacGuffin and his soft spoken son approached, introduced themselves to Merida’s friends, and quickly got into a spitting match with Fergus. All too quickly the boys took that as an opportunity to sneak away and make some trouble and Elinor was off in search of them. Rapunzel tried talking to MacGuffin’s son but couldn’t understand a word he said and eventually gave up. 

Dingwall and his son, Weevil, appeared not long after. Dingwall undoubtedly joined the festivities with Fergus while Weevil sat dozing. Hiccup theorized to his friends that perhaps he was on some narcotics. Merida stated that she didn’t doubt it. 

Next came the Macintoshs who proved to be more of a bother than the rest of the extended family. Mr. Macintoshs son wasted no time in hitting on both Merida and Rapunzel and didn’t seem keen on giving up any time soon. Merida, knowing the best way to avoid him was to simply get away, volunteered Hiccup and Jack to dance with them on the dance floor. 

Swaying to a waltz song next to each other, Merida apologized profusely. “Sorry about my family. They’re a bit crazy.” She groaned, burying her head briefly in Jack’s neck. 

Rapunzel chuckled, shaking her head. “I like them.” Hiccup held her awkwardly, trying to put as much space between them as possible. 

"Yeah. At least their not as militant as my family is. They’re crazy but they’re a lot more fun." Hiccup offered. 

"At least you’ve got a family." Jack finished, shrugging. Merida froze, blood rushing to her face. 

"Oh, god, Jack. I’m sorry." 

"No, no, I didn’t mean… Don’t worry about it." He laughed awkwardly and reached up to run a nervous hand through his hair. 

The song ended too quickly and they stepped away from each other, clapping the musicians. A new song started up and the four switched partners. This dance was even slower than the last, a lilting harmony that was wont to put them to sleep. 

Jack and Rapunzel danced closely, Rapunzel’s short head set against his chest. Merida watched them, the guilt creeping up her neck. She looked at Hiccup, a wretched look on her face. 

"Why did I say that? I swear, sometimes I just need to put my foot in my mouth." 

"Mer, don’t worry about it. He didn’t mean it that way, you know it. 

"I know, I know. I just feel like a total git." 

"Well…" Hiccup started, a mocking tone to his voice. 

"Oi, sometimes you’re a real prick." Merida snapped, pinching his arm. He laughed and feigned a noise of pain. She smiled nevertheless and looked back at their friends swaying contentedly to the music. 

"I think it’s time we did something about Rapunzel." 

"What do you mean?" 

"I mean she can’t keep living life in fear of her mum, you know." Merida worried at her lip, gripping Hiccup’s hand a little tighter. 

Hiccup looked over at Jack and Rapunzel, a nervous ball forming at the pit of his stomach. 

The extended family went back to their tables for dessert and the four convened back at the table where the triplets were already plowing through several decadent treats in chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry. Elinor was seated, chatting with a couple who stood over her. The man looked to be in his early forties, with kind eyes and a soft spoken voice. The woman was petite, with brilliant green eyes, and beautiful flowing brown hair. 

"Mr. and Mrs. King!" Merida called out with a smile. 

Mrs. King looked up. “Oh, Merida! How wonderful to see you again.” She worked her way around the table and gave the redhead a solid hug. “You look dazzling.” 

"It wasn’t my idea." Merida replied dryly. 

Mrs. King smiled slyly. “I have no doubt.” She looked up at Rapunzel, Jack, and Hiccup. “Who are your friends?” 

Merida blanched, realizing how rude she’d been. “I’m sorry! This is my friend, Rapunzel Corona, Jack Frost, and Hiccup Haddock. This is Gwendoline King. She went to college with me mum.  She’s my ‘favorite’ of the extended family.” 

"Don’t tell Mac that." Mrs. King stated. 

"No, it might bruise his ego." Merida giggled. 

"It’s lovely to meet you all." The woman shook their hands. "I’m so glad Merida has such nice friends. I’ve heard a lot about you." The three blushed. "Well, I won’t bother you all too much. Merida, let me know when a good time is to stop by the house next week to give you and your brothers your Christmas presents." She grinned and kissed the redheads cheek. 

Merida smiled. “Will do.” 

"Great. It was nice to meet you kids." Mrs. King smiled and toted her husband away. 

Dessert went smoothly and the four of them ate more than they probably should have. Rapunzel thought perhaps she might roll out of her chair and roll down the slope all the way back to the cabin. Then again, that might ruin the dress she’d worked so hard on. She couldn’t deny, she was quite partial to it since she’d never worn something so elegant. 

Hamish, Hubert, and Harris were soon falling asleep drowning in food. Rapunzel would have thought the sugar would have kept them awake but evidently they’d had a very eventful day. Rapunzel could sympathize. Elinor announced that it was time to take the boys back to the cabin and the four agreed it was time to head back too. 

Fergus graciously went to go retrieve all their coats and the eight of them waited by the door to the lodge. People were milling about the lobby in their best, some heading back up to their rooms to sleep off the calories they’d just consumed. 

Rapunzel turned to Merida, grinning. “I’ve had so much fun in Aspen, Merida.”

"We all have." Hiccup agreed. 

"It was my pleasure, trust me." She laughed. 

"Rapunzel!?" 

The four of them froze, a tremor of terror creeping through each of them. 

"Rapunzel!" 

It was getting closer. 

Rapunzel’s blood ran cold. For a split second she hoped she was dreaming, that this was a nightmare she’d wake up from any second. She hoped she’d pass out and when she woke up things would be okay. She’d be with her friends and it would be as if nothing had ever gone wrong. But in that split second her hope fled, replaced with icy fear and suddenly Aspen didn’t seem like so much fun anymore. Everything in this place was cold, everything unkind, everything utterly new and terrifying. 

She turned around towards the voice, eyes wide with panic. “Mother?” 


	22. Chapter 22

Jack had never felt so low. 

They hadn’t seen Rapunzel since that horrible night. Later, often in the cloak of the night, looking up at the traitorous moon, Jack would wonder where they’d gone wrong. The day had gone so well, the sun so bright against a layer of smooth and pure white snow. And then there had been nothing but darkness. Jack still dreamed about that night, vivid and relentless. He’d never been so terrified in his life. 

Gothel had started out all smiles. Rapunzel had immediately asked what she was doing there; she was supposed to be in the Bahamas. Apparently her flight had been snowed out and she’d booked a stay at the resort instead. It wasn’t that long of a drive and she’d been reimbursed for her plane ticket anyway. 

Elinor quickly introduced herself, ever the diplomat. Gothel was curt and her anger with Rapunzel was mounting clearly in her face. Elinor assured her that she had no idea Rapunzel had come without permission. Rapunzel explained hastily that they were her friends; she had to come and she knew Gothel wouldn’t let her. 

"Your friends? What friends?" Gothel’s voice had gone up several octaves and her hair seemed to stand on end. Jack supposed she might have been a beautiful woman if she wasn’t so terrifying. It was then he’d realized that things were going very wrong. She’d promptly taken Rapunzel roughly by the wrist and begun to drag her toward the stairs with the excuse that she needed to have a serious talk with her daughter. 

"No! I won’t go with you! I’m staying with my friends." Rapunzel yelled, the tension like a shock wave through the rest of the room. People stilled and eyes fell on the group of them. 

"You will." Gothel had replied icily, her grip on Rapunzel’s wrist constricting until Rapunzel cried out in pain. 

"No, I won’t! I’m 18 years old, you can’t order me around anymore." Rapunzel yelled, ripping her wrist from Gothel’s grip. She rubbed it, but showed no other signs of backing down. 

Gothel wasted no time. Her palm cracked across Rapunzel’s face so quickly, Jack could have sworn he hadn’t even seen her hand move. But Rapunzel’s hand moved up to cover the spot on her cheek and it grew rosy with a bruise. Rapunzel’s green eyes were like acid and he thought he’d never seen her look more determined, more unafraid. 

"You are coming with me. I am your mother." Gothel yelled back, reaching out to grip Rapunzel by the arm. Rapunzel fought all the way up the stairs, screaming at her mother as she went. They were almost to the next flight we he saw Gothel yank angrily on Rapunzel’s braid. Then, they were gone. 

They’d gone back to the cabin and Elinor ordered them to tell her everything they knew about Rapunzel’s home life. They spent several hours in the tale, with Merida streaming tears down her face. Jack and Hiccup sat shocked and speaking little, only offering unique tidbits when they thought necessary. After the tale and drowning in grief, Elinor thanked them and called the police. 

It was now well into January and the image of Rapunzel screaming remained fresh in Jack’s mind, a vicious calling card of the worst day of his life. 

Rapunzel’s story, however, had circulated through the town quickly. Rapunzel was put up for adoption at birth. Why or by whom, no one knew, but her childhood soon became subject for public consumption.

When Gothel adopted Rapunzel, she was deep in trouble with a number of underground loan sharks. She needed a steady income and Rapunzel’s foster child money was enough to pay for her excessive beauty habits. Years she fostered Rapunzel and years she came to discover that Rapunzel’s talent was immense and numbered. She began selling Rapunzel’s artistic creations at incredible prices with rousing success. 

It wasn’t until Rapunzel’s social worker told her that Rapunzel’s biological parents were interested in seeing her that Gothel finally adopted the child. Gothel was fat with the money Rapunzel unwittingly made her and refused to give up such a commodity. Rapunzel never saw a cent of that money. 

Elinor’s call to the police had triggered a massive investigation. Rapunzel was taken from Gothel’s care. The two had been in court hearings for the better part of a month. Gothel’s charges numbered from negligence, child abuse, extortion, and fraud among others. Needless to say, she would not be returning to her usual beauty routine for the rest of her days. 

Lunch with HIccup and Merida had grown somber. The whole school seemed to feel Rapunzel’s absence and they seemed to blame them for it. Now that the golden child’s secret was out, too many people asked them why they hadn’t done anything sooner. Why did they let Rapunzel suffer? 

Jack had asked himself that question too many times. Why did they do nothing? Why were they so afraid? They couldn’t have known the true extent of the abuse. What were they to do? They just wanted to make Rapunzel happy, to give her life. And what was this shell that Elinor had given her? Chaos and heartbreak. But she was free. So close to being free. It all had to be for the better, right? 

Jack’s mood was perpetually foul and he’d been unable to focus on his classes. They hadn’t heard from Rapunzel the whole month she’d been away and it had left their little group lackluster. Not even Sandy seemed able to break through their melancholy. They’d grown distant, even just sitting amongst each other every day at lunch. It was like an invisible barrier had grown between them, like Rapunzel had been the only thing keeping them together. And they still knew nothing of how she was. If she was okay. If she was safe. 

"Bloody hell, I hate this." Merida broke another unbearable silence in the cafeteria, her disheveled red head bowed over a chemistry exam. A shining red F stood out on the page. "Get good grades, she says. You’ll never get into a good college, she says. You’ll never get any scholarships, she says. To hell with scholarships and to hell with me mum." She crumpled the test and tossed it over her shoulder, her round face a mask of frustration and anxiety. 

"I can tutor you, if you want." Hiccup offered quietly. He hadn’t been speaking much as of late, and his voice had grown smaller and trembled with nervousness. His excessive studying had only intensified in the impenetrable silence. 

"I don’t want a bloody tutor. I want to get away from me damn mum." Merida snapped irritably.

"Will you shut up." Jack muttered darkly, his fork toying idly with the peas on his tray. 

"What did you say to me?" Merida asked, her voice thick with venom. 

"I said shut up." Jack said a little more loudly, his vivid blue eyes connecting with her own. His glare was hard and resolute. It arrested Merida’s own fury a bit. 

"What the hell did I do to you?" She demanded, regaining her anger swiftly. 

"You complain all the fucking time, Merida, about you mom and how horrible she is. Just shut up about it. I’m tired of hearing it. So what if your mom pushes you to do well! So what!" 

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Merida quailed a little, but did not give up. 

"Jack—" Hiccup started. He could see the fury on Jack’s face and moved quickly to intervene. Not, however, quickly enough. 

"What the hell is wrong with you! You have a great life, Merida! I would kill to have a mother who cared that much about me to push me to be better. Who believed I could be better. I would kill to have a mother at all! So stop complaining like a spoiled brat and think about someone other than yourself for once!" 

Jack was standing and yelling at her. He couldn’t remember standing but his hands were balled into fists and his tray had unwittingly flipped onto the floor at his feet, peas and mashed potatoes strewn across dirty white tiles. He glared at her for several seconds, chest rising and falling with oxygen. 

She stared at him, shock coloring her pale face, her mouth slightly agape. Mechanically her mouth closed and he saw her bottom lip quiver just the slightest. She looked down at the table and stood up slowly and took off walking out of the cafeteria, the tail of her skirt whipping behind her. 

The energy fell from Jack the moment she was gone. He sank back into his seat, his hands going up to cover his face. He heard Hiccup change seats so that he was sitting across from the silver haired youth. 

"That was harsh, man." 

"I shouldn’t have said those things. She didn’t deserve to hear them." 

"Well, perhaps she did, but not like that." Hiccup offered with a sheepish smile. He glanced at the door she’d disappeared behind, eyes soft and sad. "It’s neither of your faults. We’re all a little on edge." 

Jack laughed humorlessly. “I think little is an understatement. But you’re right.” 

"You haven’t heard from her, have you?" Jack knew he wasn’t talking about Merida. 

Jack shook his head, his long fingers running through threads of pale hair. “No. Nothing. I’m afraid she’s mad at us. And she doesn’t have a phone so I can’t call her. I don’t even know where she’s living now.” 

Hiccup nodded, face pained. “I just wish we knew if she was okay. I can’t get that night in Aspen out of my head.” 

"I can’t either."

"I just wish I could’ve done something!" 

"I thought it was just me." His laugh was breathless, his head aching. He shared a sad smile with Hiccup. 

"I feel like such a jerk." Hiccup stated, an ashamed look crossing his boyish features. 

"Why?" Jack asked in wonderment, his brow pulling together over his eyes. 

"Because I was jealous of Rapunzel." 

"Jealous? Of what?"

"Of her success. Of how everyone loves her. Of how well she does in classes without really trying." Hiccup sighed, his cheeks turning pink. "She’s smarter than I am." 

Jack forced an incredulous laugh. “That’s why you’ve been so weird around her? I thought you had a crush or something! Hiccup, that’s stupid. You’re the smartest person I’ve ever met.” 

"What? Really?"

Jack shook his head, smiling for the first time in several weeks. It felt strange on his lips. “Of course. I mean, you’ve been helping me with my schoolwork since Rapunzel’s been gone and you’re just sharp! You see things and understand things before anyone else does. You understand people, what they’re like inside and out, without trying. Rapunzel is brilliant, but she’ll never be that intuitive. She’s smart, but you’re a whole different animal. Being jealous is crazy, Hic. You have no one to live up to but yourself.” Jack didn’t know where the wisdom came from but it spilled from his mouth naturally. He figured it must be true. 

Hiccup sat staring at him for several minutes, his jaw slack and his eyes confused. “I never thought…”

He paused struggling for words. 

"I guess I was so busy comparing myself to everyone else… I just thought nothing I ever did was enough." Hiccup stated quietly. 

"Being yourself is enough, Hic. Trust me." 


	23. Chapter 23

Hiccup and Jack had been spending a lot of time together. 

Merida was still quite upset with Jack and hadn’t been seen for many days. She spent most of her lunch periods for the next week out on the lawns smoking. Hiccup was beginning to worry. Stress had made her darker than she’d ever been and it seemed like she was smoking two packs a day. He would often call her up to see how she was doing only to have her yell about how angry she was at Jack, nay, how angry she was at everything. Everything, perhaps, except him. If Jack wasn’t hanging out in his bedroom, Merida certainly was. 

He’d been tutoring Jack. Jack was meant to take the SAT again so that he might apply for the schools accepting rolling admission. He’d been doing better under Hiccup’s tutelage, perhaps because he didn’t have much else to do but study. Also, perhaps, because he wasn’t as distracted by Rapunzel’s bubbliness. She was a good tutor but she also had a tendency to switch tasks very quickly. Hiccup couldn’t tell if it was a mild form of attention deficit disorder or if her brain just moved faster than everyone elses. His brain had a tendency to leap ahead of others’ but he’d learned long ago to keep pace with the rest. Rapunzel didn’t have the luxury of previous human interaction. 

Hiccup had offered to tutor Merida as well, as her grades were less than spectacular, but she’d scoffed at him. It seemed she was avoiding the subject altogether. 

Hiccup was playing the middle ground and had to balance two very opposite forces in Jack and Merida. Jack, while he felt bad for what he said to Merida, wouldn’t apologize until she calmed down. Hiccup had to admit that she was acting like a child, but he just wished the two of them would make up so he could stop being tugged left and right. 

One evening Merida had called him in the midst of a tutoring session with Jack. 

"I’m coming over." Merida had a tendency to invite herself over without pretense. He found it both amusing and annoying. As he usually did with Merida. 

Hiccup had gone cold, his eyes traveling over to the studious Jack who sat at Hiccup’s death doing arithmetic. “Uh, okay.” He hung up the phone before he could Jack’s attention away from his work. This was it, he thought. This was the moment he’d been waiting for. The perfect moment to force them both into the same room and make them work things out. He figured either they’d kill each other or start crying in each others arms. Either way at least his arms wouldn’t come off in their endless tug of war battle. 

The doorbell rang after a few minutes. Merida’s house was a short distance from Hiccup’s and she could easily walk it without breaking a sweat. Jack sat up from his work, curiosity sparking in his blue eyes. “Who’s at the door?” Stoick was at a business meeting and wouldn’t be back for several hours. The two of them were home alone. 

Hiccup stood up from where he sat on his bed, forced nonchalance visible in every line of his body. He wasn’t very good at lying. He crossed to his bedroom door, his hand on the handle. “No idea. I better go answer it. Could be some Mormons or perhaps a surprise pizza delivery.” The laugh that left his lips was awkward and nervous. 

Jack’s eyes narrowed. “You’re not a very convincing liar. You should work on that.” 

"Lying? I’m not lying." 

Jack raised a skeptical brow. 

Hiccup heaved a defeated sigh. “Okay fine. It’s Merida. She called me a few minutes ago saying she was coming over.” 

"You’re not serious!" 

"Oh come on, Jack. You’ve got to talk to her! You two need to deal with this. This fighting is ridiculous. It’s not even over something real, you’re just being stubborn. Both of you." Hiccup complained, crossing his arms over his chest. 

"I’m not talking to her when she’s like this." Jack replied, standing and pulling his coat over his shoulders. A door opened and closed downstairs. Jack began to move faster. Hiccup cursed, a gesture unusual to him. Merida WOULD come into the house without being let in. 

"You’ve got to talk to her eventually!" 

Jack moved to Hiccup’s window, lifting it and perching on the sill with eerie acrobatic skill. “Not today.” And like that he was gone, disappearing out into the snow. Hiccup moved to the window, watching as Jack landed lightly on his feet on the roof and then skidded off the side to the ground. Jack moved catlike before taking off running into the woods behind Hiccup’s house. 

"That went well." Hiccup muttered, rubbing a growing headache from between his eyes. 

"What went well?" Merida asked from his doorway. Hiccup looked up at her, closing the window. 

"Nothing. What’s up?" 

Merida immediately moved to his bed, flopping down on it and placing one of his pillows over her head. “Mum’s been yelling nonstop lately. I don’t know what’s up. She’s been weird ever since Aspen. She got a call from my algebra teacher and she was so angry she about cried. I had to get out of the house.” 

Hiccup sat at his desk, whirling his desk chair to face her. “You should seriously think about tutoring, Mer. If not me then get your mom to hire one. If you bring your grades up she might actually stop yelling at you.” 

Merida shook her head. She rose from the cocoon and laid on her elbows, tangles of red hair falling in her face. “I think it’s more than that. It’s that I’m nothing like her. That I’m not her clone. It’s like she just genuinely hates me.” 

"Your mom doesn’t hate you. I know that for a fact." 

Merida groaned. “She’s just been a bloody nightmare. I’m tired of it. If I wasn’t graduating soon I’d file for emancipation.” 

"What? You’re not serious." Hiccup almost stood, his anger peaking. He thought he’d never heard something so ridiculous in his life. Merida’s hard expression seemed to waver a little, her certainty falling away like sand through open fingers. She looked very vulnerable where she laid on the bed, afraid and small and sad. His expression softened as the silence stretched and he reached across the space to lay his hands against the edge of the bed. 

"I don’t know. I just think something is wrong with her. Or maybe there’s something wrong with me. I don’t know what to do anymore, Hic. Now that Punz is gone, I feel like I’m going crazy." 

Hiccup sighed, his forehead falling to touch the covers. He lifted his eyes to hers. “You should talk to your mom about it. Work through it. Your mom loves you, you just need to start talking to her like a mature adult.” 

Merida’s eyes narrowed. “What if I don’t want to be a mature adult.” 

"I think it’s a bit late for that." 

After Merida was gone, vowing to talk to her mother about their issues, Hiccup sat at his desk for several hours staring uncertainly at his computer. 

Stoick was the city mayor and had connections all over the city. He’d been feeling generous to Hiccup lately, especially when his ‘girlfriend’ had been discovered in all that scandal. He thought, perhaps, he always desired to have a rebellious son. Stoick was a respectable man but in his younger days he’d been quite the maverick. It seemed he wanted Hiccup to follow in his footsteps. 

So Hiccup stared at the phone number on his computer screen with trepidation. His cell phone had been sitting suspended between his hands for a good hour. He couldn’t seem to move, to break the delicate barrier he’d built around himself. 

Finally, as the moon began to rise into the night sky, Hiccup dialed the number his father had given him and lifted his cell phone to his ear. After a minute a warm voice answer the line, a vague familiarity running down Hiccup’s bones. 

"King residence." 

Hiccup couldn’t reply for a moment. His hand was shaking and he felt as if he might cry. 

"Hello? Is anyone there?" 

"Is Rapunzel there?" The words were out fast and trembling but he tried to hold in a nervous laugh as the words hung in the air. Relief pooled around him, months worth of weight lifting from his lanky shoulders. 

"Oh. Why yes, yes, of course. One moment." Her hand went over the receiver and Hiccup faintly heard the sound of her calling for Rapunzel from the other side. 


	24. Chapter 24

The walk from Hiccup’s house was too short. Merida found herself stopping unnecessarily to spy on other people’s houses just to waste a little time. It wasn’t that so much that she was afraid but that she was tired: tired of getting yelled at and scolded and otherwise ignored. Everything was fine as long as she wasn’t acting like herself. 

But she was very tired of not being herself. 

She went through several long and angry speeches as she walked back to the Dunbroch house: speeches about how she just wanted to be herself, how it was unfair of Elinor to expect things from her that she wasn’t certain she was capable of, that she was tired of Elinor trying to vicariously fix her own mistakes through Merida. 

Rationally, however, Merida knew she would never utter those speeches. She’d start in on Elinor and her mother would hear none of it. Lately i had been even worse. The moment Merida tried to start an honest discussion Elinor would disappear to her bedroom complaining that she was much too tired. Merida suspected it was because Elinor was too afraid to admit that Merida was right: that she should be allowed to be who she wants to be. 

She arrived at her front door much too quickly, the frosted glass panes staring back at her mockingly. She’d told HIccup she’d talk to her mother, finally be honest with her. And she couldn’t deny that the strain of everything was too much now. With Rapunzel gone, no longer there to cushion the blow, Merida couldn’t deal with things anymore. She had to face them head on. She couldn’t keep running off to Hiccup or Rapunzel or, god forbid, Jack. Though, she wouldn’t deny, she would rather apologize to Jack at that moment then confront her mother. As twisted as it was, Merida trusted Jack to accept her for her flaws more than she trusted Elinor. 

And that unsettled her. 

With that, Merida put her hand on the door handle. 

The quiet of the entry hall was huge and overwhelming. Merida stood in the doorway, the waning winter cold at her back. The quiet in the house was unusual: it was usually bustling with their maid or Fergus entertaining guests or the boys wrecking havoc in one part of the house or another. Instead it was silent, the whistle of the wind whispering behind her. 

"Merida? Is that you?" Elinor’s feeble voice carried through the house, so faint Merida thought it could have been a dream. Merida closed the front door behind her and followed the sound of her mother through the house. 

She found Elinor sitting at the bar in the kitchen, a mug of coffee clutched between her hands. Her hair was down for once, the graying brown strands combed beautifully down her back. It was only like this that Merida saw the similarities between them: the same round face, the same easy smile, the same wide eyes. Elinor looked much younger like this and Merida briefly felt all of her anger and frustration rush from her body. 

"Please sit down, Merida." Elinor gestured at a seat next to her. Merida took a step forward and wavered. It felt like a trap, like something very heavy was about to be dropped on her head from the heavens above. She took a measured step back, glancing around at the distinct lack of the rest of the family. They were not home, she realized. 

"Where are Dad? Where is Hamish and Hubert and Harris?" She was instantly on the defensive. They were never in the house alone. There was always one of the boys to cushion the wrath. Elinor could never stay that mad when the boys were around causing trouble. And Fergus was just the same. They were distractions so that Merida could live her life unnoticed by Elinor. Not that she really succeeded most of the time. Elinor had a keen way of seeing everything. 

"Your father has taken them to get dinner. They will be back soon. Come, Merida, come sit with me." Elinor didn’t sound the same. She didn’t sound angry, only very sad. And for some reason that was even scarier. What could Merida have possibly done to incur such a strange reaction in Elinor. It didn’t make sense and Merida absurdly felt all that repressed anger rise within in. She felt the blood rush to her face and her words choke viciously in her throat. 

"No!" 

"Merida…" Elinor started, looking exhausted. 

"No! I don’t want to listen to what you have to say! I’ve been trying to talk to you for a month about what’s been going on in my life. How Rapunzel is gone and I haven’t talked to her. How my grades are slipping and I don’t even care. How coach says I could have a shot at the Olympics. How I can’t even be myself around here without you jumping down my throat. And I can’t take it anymore, Mum. I don’t want to be like you. I can’t be like you! So stop trying to make me." Merida was yelling, her fury dribbling to ashes, drifting like dust to the floor between them. 

Elinor stared at Merida, shock coloring her features. She looked far more alert, one hand still touching her mug and the other over her lips. 

A beat passed between them, freezing Merida’s anger to regret. Elinor looked down at the bar, sadness touching her features. 

Then she began to cry. 

Merida stared in horror as Elinor broke down in tears, her hands reaching up to cover her face. Merida felt the guilt surge into her throat and before she knew it she was across the room, her hand on Elinor’s back rubbing soothing circles into the cloth of her sweater. “Mum, I…”  
  


"I’m so sorry, Merida. I didn’t mean to make you feel that way. I just want you to have a bright future. I thought… You’re right and I’m so sorry." Merida stared at Elinor’s hidden face in surprise. She wasn’t expecting that: she expected Elinor to yell, to order her to her room, to lecture her, something. But certainly not this. Elinor was falling apart before her eyes and it was only then that Merida began to realize that perhaps her mother’s tone hadn’t been one of anger or disappointment, but something else entirely. 

Something that had nothing to do with her. 

"Mum, what’s wrong?" Merida asked, gently prying Elinor’s hands from her face. Beyond them were ugly tear stains dripping mascara onto the gleaming countertop. Elinor looked up at Merida with utter despair and fear, something Merida had never seen her mother wear. It felt violently wrong, down to her bones, and she realized that she would forgive her mother everything if she could make that expression go away. 

"I have to tell you something, Merida." Elinor started slowly, hiccuping painfully against another wave of sobs. 

"Anything, Mum. I’ll listen." This time, she meant it. 

"The reason we haven’t talked, the reason I’ve been so tired… Merida, I have thyroid cancer." 


	25. Chapter 25

Rapunzel was nervous. 

Her skin itched where she stood on the curb, her hands moving up and down her arms to warm them in the cold. Not that she was in the slightest bit cold. Mrs. King was kind enough to buy her an all new winter coat. The elder woman had assured her time and time again that she could call her Mom now: that was, after all, what she was, But Rapunzel was having trouble adjusting. Not that she wasn’t incredibly grateful, it was just too much all at once. Mrs. King was even more sympathetic to that. 

The high school sat at her back, it’s ominous brick buildings hanging over her, watching her. It was before sunrise and the sensible students wouldn’t be on campus for at least another hour. Not even most of the teachers were around. It was dark and the light of the moon still peeked over a row of houses. Steam curled up from the cup of hot chocolate that Mrs. King bought her on the way to school. The heat of it burned through Rapunzel’s gloves: she didn’t have the courage to yet take a sip. 

Mrs. King stood next to her, the woman’s modest sedan parked in front of them. She was watching Rapunzel curiously, the younger girl’s eyes roving in every direction. 

"Are you nervous?" Mrs. King asked quietly, clutching her own cup of coffee. 

Rapunzel looked at the woman, bouncing a little on her heels. She couldn’t tell if it was from the cold, or the anxiety pent deep within her stomach. “I guess. Nervous. And excited.” 

Mrs. King smiled. “They mean a lot to you, don’t they?” 

Rapunzel let a ghost of a smile grace her chapped lips. “They saved me.” 

Mrs. King thought on this a moment, nodding slowly. “They did. In their own way. But, remember, Rapunzel, most of all, you saved yourself.” 

Rapunzel shook her head. “I couldn’t have done it if they hadn’t taught me I could. I couldn’t have done it if I didn’t trust them to be there when it was all over.” 

Mrs. King’s face grew serious, her eyes soft as she looked at the young girl before her eyes. Rapunzel watched them closely, uncertain what she would find. She found lately that she greatly distrusted the adults around her. But Mrs. King—-no, her Mom—-was different. It terrified her, but she liked it. 

"I’m sorry for everything—-"

"Don’t. You’ve done enough apologizing Mrs—Mom. I respect the choice you made, giving me up when you weren’t ready. I, more than anyone, know that it’s better to have a Mother that loves you than one that resents you." Rapunzel spoke through a choked throat, her eyes going down to the cup in her hands. 

Before Mrs. King could speak, there was a car door slam at the other edge of the parking lot. In the dim street light Rapunzel could see a familiar black Mustang. Emerging from it were three figures Rapunzel had been dying to see. Her heart leaped; she glanced over at her mother for… Something. Acceptance, resignation, permission? The woman smiled at her, a smile as familiar as her own, and leaned over to plant a hesitant kiss on her forehead. Rapunzel took it, smiling privately to herself. 

Then Mrs. King got in her car, took her untouched hot chocolate graciously, and left them alone. 

Rapunzel looked up to her friends, their walk across the parking lot slow and uncertain at first. They gained momentum the closer they got and then, after a breathtaking second, Rapunzel launched herself at them at a breakneck speed, colliding with three familiar bodies, her hands curling in tufts of silver hair, her head buried in red, and her eyes locked with unforgettable green ones. Tears streamed unrelenting down her cheeks as they breathed each other in and clutched each other like they might never let go. 

Finally, Rapunzel broke away to look at her three favorite people in the world. They were breathless, each of them glistening with tears of their own. Merida looked marginally more red than usual. Jack’s face glistened wet and Hiccup seemed to be shaking. Somehow, Rapunzel expected, it wasn’t from the cold. 

"Your hair." Merida observed quietly, reaching out a hand to finger Rapunzel’s short brow locks. 

Rapunzel reached up to clutch a long lock at her neck, her same old nervous habit, only to find it wasn’t there anymore. Instead she reached higher to finger the stubbed strands along ears. She smiled sheepishly. “She chopped off all my hair… Before… Well, before the police came. We dyed it because there was… A lot, a lot of blood.” They didn’t need to ask who she was. Jack looked furious and Merida’s hand came up to cover her mouth. “But, I’m okay! Really. I just wanted you guys. That’s all I wanted.” 

"No wonder Dad didn’t want me to call you." Hiccup muttered, a hand massaging a headache from his forehead. He was pale, his fingers nervous and shaking. They all looked terribly grieved and Rapunzel greatly wished to take those expressions from their faces. "He said I shouldn’t. But I couldn’t wait any longer. We’re a mess without you, Punz." 

Vaguely, Rapunzel acknowledged it was perhaps the first time he’d given her such a term of endearment. Their phone conversation had been awkward and mostly silent, but there had come a breaking point in which he’d cried for her, an unfathomable helplessness leaking through the phone. And they’d cried together and while she didn’t tell him everything, preferring to tell everyone once they were all back together, they broke with each other and he brought her back. She had been afraid and he brought her back. 

So here she was, back at school, to start again. This time, utterly changed. 

"I’m a mess without you." Rapunzel admitted, reaching for Merida’s hand, then Jack’s. "I want to tell you all everything. I want us to get back to the way things were… Maybe not exactly, but close. But for the next hour can we just let all of it go? Can we just have a little fun?" 

Jack smiled, sad at first, then determined. It was his area of expertise. He freed his hand from Rapunzel’s, reached up to pat her cheek, and then reached down to gather a handful of snow. “I thought you’d never ask.” 


	26. Chapter 26

They sat under the stairs that afternoon, their voices hidden behind a stack of plastic chairs. Perhaps it wasn’t the best idea for Rapunzel to be skipping more classes, but no one seemed to really notice the difference. Besides, Jack would admit to wanting to keep Rapunzel to themselves for a little while. 

It was there, in the dim light coming through the windows, that Jack realized things were changing for the four of them. He’d known it, at the back of his mind, when Gothel had dragged Rapunzel from the hotel lobby that day so many weeks ago. But it didn’t fully hit him until now. Until they all laid everything out in stark black and white. 

Rapunzel went first, naturally. She described what the past month or so had been like. She skimmed on the specific details of her terrifying last night with Gothel. From what Jack understood, Gothel had roughly chopped all her hair off with a knife as punishment and had spent the better part of the evening coloring the blonde’s freckled skin. Jack tried very hard not to let his fists clench at these parts in her story, but he didn’t truly succeed. 

When the police came, Rapunzel lost patches of time. One minute she watches Gothel being dragged away, the next she was placed in protective custody. She was 18, so she didn’t necessarily need to be sent through child services, but no one seemed willing to leave her alone. She spent a lonely week with a foster family she didn’t know all the way across town while the police conducted their investigation. 

Then an officer came to tell her everything. The detective had done his best to be delicate, but Rapunzel had grown hollow listening to their story. What Gothel had done. How she had exploited her. She hadn’t truly believed them until they allowed Rapunzel to visit the house, to inspect what was left of her belongings. Indeed, whole patches of her childhood were missing, gifts she’d thought she’d given Gothel, spent hours, days, weeks, working on for her so-called mother. To dust. 

The detective also told her of the King family. How Mrs. King had gotten pregnant in her first year of college. How she wasn’t brave enough to keep her so young. How she’d come looking for her when Mr. and Mrs. King had finally gotten married and wanted to start their family. How she’d never felt content to have another child when her first was out there somewhere wondering how she could give Rapunzel up. 

Finally, after another week with the foster family, Mrs. King had come to see her. She offered her a place in the King household. Rapunzel accepted. 

Things still weren’t right. Living with the Kings was awkward and Rapunzel often found herself waking and waiting to hear Gothel’s familiar voice. Sometimes she cried, because as much as she hated what Gothel had done to her, she also loved her. She missed her mother. She’d awake in the middle of the night from terrible nightmares and she’d call out for Gothel. When she never came she’d weep, feeling both grief and shame. 

And sometimes she’d feel such hatred. How could Gothel make her love her and then be so cruel? She’d always thought her mother strict and unfair, but wicked? She forgot in terrible moments and when she remembered it was like it was that night in Aspen all over again. 

But ever the placater, Rapunzel assured her friends that she was okay. They knew her words weren’t entirely true, but they didn’t argue. 

Then Rapunzel demanded to know about Elinor. Merida had been very quiet all day, a habit Jack found utterly unsettling. She sat on the floor, her head propped on her knees. And she began. 

Eleanor was afflicted with the early stages of thyroid cancer. In the following week she would have it removed and then undergo several radiation treatments. She would not, however, have to endure chemo. And there was very little chance of the cancer spreading and risking Elinor’s life. 

"I’ve been so cruel to her, Punz. I don’t know how she forgave me, but she did." Merida whispered softly. She looked up at Jack, her eyes full of tears. "I’m sorry for being a prick lately, Jack. And I’m sorry for complaining so much. Punz, you’ve been through so much. I got no right to complain as I do." 

Rapunzel took Merida’s hand gently and pulled the ginger’s head to rest on Rapunzel’s shoulder. She cooed and shook her head. “You have nothing to apologize for. I’m okay. We’ll all be okay. Won’t we?” She looked up at Jack and Hiccup for support. They offered her warm smiles. 

"It may seem like I’ve been through a lot, and I have," Rapunzel started, her fingers brushing absently through Merida’s hair. "But you guys are what got me through. I mean, I couldn’t really talk to you, but I knew when I saw you all again it would have been worth it. That you’d remind me why I needed to keep my head up." Rapunzel’s smile was, as always, so heartbreakingly genuine. 

Jack felt a nagging nervousness curl in his chest as he looked at her. He realized, very briefly, that he was a little bit jealous. Rapunzel found out who her true family was. She found them, and weathered it like she did everything else: with wisdom and grace. Before he knew it, he was speaking, the words pouring out of him without his volition. 

"I want to find my family." Silence followed and for a moment Jack thought perhaps he’d imagined speaking. 

Then their eyes came up to meet his, wide and emotionless. He found HIccup’s first, the hard green searching. He shifted to Merida whose fathomless blue depths were waiting for more. She always seemed uncertain of her path, like she needed someone to lead the way. When he stopped on Rapunzel’s he was surprised to see the ghost of a smile, her eyes certain and prepared. 

"Then we’ll help you." She answered, reaching across Merida’s lap to squeeze the redhead’s trembling hand. 


	27. Chapter 27

Hiccup didn’t imagine he’d be alone with Rapunzel in her room. 

Well, her new room. Her old one was in the woods somewhere being painted over so that the house could be sold. Though she didn’t get to keep the house (nor, did Hiccup think, did she want to) the state did bequeath her whatever money was to be made from the house. Gothel wouldn’t be using it any time soon. 

The King’s had spared no expense in reviving Rapunzel’s new room. They told her they would have painters come in to paint the walls in whatever color or fashion she wanted. They paraded furniture in whatever style she could possibly want to furnish the room. But Rapunzel remained adamant: she wanted to paint the room herself and pick up thrifted furniture to tailor to her own tastes. So they’d provided her with a number of cans of paint, paintbrushes, and taken her to several thrift shops to find the furniture she’d take apart and put together again. 

By now the room was beginning to come together. She had a beautiful white canopy bed with a violet quilt she’d made herself. Her dresser was in the midst of a restain and her desk and easel were scattered with papers, paints, and other sundry artistic supplies that HIccup was sure he didn’t know the name of. 

Hiccup sat on Rapunzel’s made bed as she mounted a step ladder in overalls and a ragged t-shirt that was clearly much too big for her. Hiccup had the sneaking suspicion that it was Mr. King’s t-shirt. She held a paintbrush aloft as she began work on a large mural on the biggest wall of the room. It was very roughly sketched, human figures just barely legible beyond the lavender background. “What are you painting?” He asked, fingering through his chemistry textbook. He’d brought a large stack of Rapunzel’s makeup work and together they figured they could blow through it all in a relatively timely fashion. 

"I can’t say. I don’t want to spoil the surprise." She cast a sly smile back at him. 

Somehow Hiccup knew what she was painting and it brought a hesitant smile to his lips. 

"So, I was thinking you and I ought to team up to find Jack’s family. With your brainpower and my creativity it will take no time. Not to mention your dad is the mayor. He might be able to find stuff out that we can’t." Rapunzel chatted as she worked, flicks of pale paint freckling her face. She was utterly consumed in the painting and it reminded Hiccup of the way he felt when he was building something. Not that he got to build stuff much. He may have been the lead engineer in the robot club but he mostly delegated work these days. He missed getting his hands dirty. 

"That’s a good idea. I’ll talk to my dad about it and maybe do some searches." Hiccup replied, thumbing through a stack of calculus homework that he’d already done on Rapunzel’s behalf. 

"Have you spoken to Merida today?" She asked tentatively. 

Hiccup sighed, running a nervous hand through his hair. Merida hadn’t been the same since Elinor told her the truth about her condition. To be truthful, she hadn’t been the same since Gothel had dragged Rapunzel from Aspen. Merida had always been, perhaps, the most privileged of all of them. She had a loving and whole family. A charmed childhood, despite her misgivings. But she was still a child and being confronted with the cruelties of the real world had left her a little off kilter. 

She’d taken to studying obsessively, arriving at HIccup’s house at all hours of the day to court tutoring. She seemed a little stronger in some ways and weaker in others. She’d become the woman of the house in the wake of Elinor’s treatments. It was impressive to see her take charge of her little brothers and even her father. Fergus had been a bigger mess, breaking out into hysterical manly tears every twenty minutes. Manly because his tears were a single tear that streamed down his cheek until it caught in his beard. Hiccup suspected it must have been how Stoick had looked after his mother had died. 

But during their study session Merida grew frustrated and angry very quickly. She would lash out at the smallest of things and Hiccup was beginning to suspect that she was taking on too much. She was so worried about making up for her behavior that she no longer was allowing herself to be a teenager.

"Yeah, she was at the house studying before I came over. She’s a bit ragged, Punz. And I think quitting smoking has left her a little snappish. She growled at Toothless yesterday." Toothless was a kitten Hiccup had pulled from a storm drain the past week. He’d been half buried in snow and dying and had given him a toothless smile when Hiccup pulled him from within. He was much too young to be alone and Hiccup had spent the better part of his nights nursing the animal back to health. Toothless was gaining his bearings quickly, however, and was wreaking havoc in the Haddock household on a regular basis. When he’d tried to swat playfully at Merida’s hair she’d growled at him, sending the kitten hiding under Hiccup’s bedspread. 

Rapunzel grimaced at her painting and wiped sweat from her brow. A smear of paint spread across her skin. 

"Yeah. She’s been sleeping over here a lot. I think she just needs an escape. Maybe we should do something to distract her. She’s always done so well distracting us. Besides, I think we all could use a little siesta." She chuckled, hopping down from the stepladder and plopping down across from him on a tarp spread across the floor. 

"You’re probably right. Any ideas?" 

Rapunzel shrugged. “Hmm… Not at the moment. Perhaps we should defer the anarchy to Jack. He might have better ideas than anything we can come up with.” 

Hiccup laughed. “True. Very true.” 

Rapunzel sighed, gazing up at Hiccup beneath a mess of tousled brown hair. It would take some getting used to, but it suited her. “I never got the chance to thank you.” 

Hiccup startled, sitting up straight on the bed. “Thank me? What for?” 

"Making me brave. That night in Aspen, I’d never really had the courage to tell my mother what I really wanted. What I really thought. It might sound stupid but when you stood up to Nottingham it showed me what it’s worth to stick up for yourself and your friends. That you could—that I could. You never stop sticking up for us, Hiccup. If it weren’t for you I might’ve gone with Gothel without a second thought. If it weren’t for you, I might still be sneaking home through my bedroom window." 

Hiccup had never thought of himself as brave for doing the things he did. He acted on instinct most of the time. He stared at her, his mouth hung open just the slightest before he cracked a wide smile. 

"No, you wouldn’t. Because we’d be breaking down the door to get you back from her." 


	28. Chapter 28

Merida was very tired. 

She was sprawled across Rapunzel’s bed fast asleep, her head buried in one of perhaps twenty of Rapunzel’s pillows. The rest lay scattered across her bedroom floor where Merida had unceremoniously thrown them in the night. 

She’d been sleeping at Rapunzel’s house every night for over a week. It was the only real rebellion she’d allowed herself since Elinor told her the truth. Otherwise she’d spent every waking hour studying, doting on her brothers and her father, and managing the house: a feat which had turned out to be much more complicated than she’d bargained for. 

She’d thought about crashing at Hiccup’s or even Jack’s place so as not to impose on Rapunzel but she rationalized that if Elinor found out about her sneaking out she wouldn’t be quite as concerned if she learned Merida was staying with Rapunzel. Not that Elinor didn’t trust the boys, but with Merida anything could happen and Merida certainly couldn’t blame her. She wouldn’t deny she would have gladly taken the distraction, though perhaps not with the boys. Too close.Too weird. 

A rattling noise, like a window opening, roused her from sleep. It was a Saturday and it was subsequently the first Saturday Merida had allowed herself to sleep in for a couple weeks. She rolled on the bed, groaning, and stuffed another pillow over her head in the hopes the sound would go away. She’d been dreaming before the sound had woken her. She’d been having a lot of interesting dreams lately, littered with little glowing lights leading her through the dark. She thought perhaps they were trying to tell her something important, but she couldn’t grasp what that was. As soon as she got close enough to speak to them they vanished. 

And of course, her dreams had been filled with her friends. Some made more sense than others. Jack could fly and Rapunzel’s hair was magic and Hiccup’s cat was a dragon. It was all very ridiculous, though not without it’s own sense of amusement. But some of her dreams were very normal. Some were memories, more often than not they were happy ones. Homecoming and Aspen and Halloween and the first night they all met. The dreams made her homesick. 

Ever since she’d taken on her new responsibilities she’d started worrying unnecessarily for her three friends. Jack was looking for his family and Merida felt totally useless in that search. She’d talked to Fergus about it, but he hadn’t turned anything up and he was much too worried about Elinor to be much bothered. 

And, of course, she worried about Rapunzel. Rapunzel acted fine but Merida worried that the little brunette was shutting herself away. She too was working harder than usual and despite being around her friends on a regular basis, Rapunzel no longer was as curious or chatty as she used to be. She was a flower curling in on itself from the darkness and Merida wondered on how many more experiences Rapunzel would miss because she was scarred—broken. 

But Merida didn’t worry about Hiccup. Hiccup was solid, their rock. She trusted that Hiccup would always be steady, and for that she was unbelievably grateful. 

"Shh, she’s moving." A small voice whispered as the rattling continued. There was a loud THUMP and then a curse by a thick male voice. A light giggling. A snicker. 

Then, utterly without warning, the covers were ripped from the sleeping Merida. She cried out, curling in to account for the lost heat. Her eyes opened drowsily to take in her companions who stood grinning at the end of the bed. They were dressed in snow gear and in one hand they each carried a pair of ice skates. Jack held a spare and tossed them next to Merida on the bed. 

"Wake up sleepy head!" Rapunzel cried, grinning. "We’re going ice skating!" 

Merida sat up, pushing wild strands of red hair out of her face. “But I’ve got to—” 

"No buts." Hiccup prompted. "I don’t care what chores you’ve invented for yourself at the Dunbroch household. You’re coming out with us. Whether you want to or not." 

Merida grunted. “Isn’t this kidnapping?” 

Jack shrugged and glanced at Rapunzel. “Wouldn’t be the first time.” Hiccup snorted behind a gloved hand. Rapunzel didn’t seem to notice. 

She took Merida’s hand and pulled her gently off the bed. “No arguing. Now are you going to get dressed or do I have to dress you forcibly.” 

"You always have to dress me forcibly." 

"Got that right." 

"Jack!" 

He laughed, holding his hands up in surrender as Rapunzel leveled a childish glare at him. She had a beanie over her short crop of hair and the little brown strands stuck out in a halo around her head. She looked much younger with the short hair and yet far beyond her years. Just beyond those vivacious green eyes were months worth of grief. 

"Fine. I’ll get dressed." Merida finally relented and picked up her bag to rifle through a selection of overnight clothes. She disappeared into Rapunzel’s bathroom and promptly collapsed against the door. 

She sank to the floor, breathing hard, relief falling through her in waves. It was as if she was allowing herself to breathe for the first time in two weeks. It would be months before Elinor was well again and Merida had the rest of the school year to survive. 

But Rapunzel and Jack and Hiccup were going to make sure she survived with her sanity in tact. Tears sprang to her eyes and she pushed them away. Not because she was grieving, but because she was so thankful. If she’d found out about Elinor’s cancer and they hadn’t been there to push her, to inspire her, to always have her back, she didn’t know what would have happened to her family. Perhaps they would have been fine, but would Merida have been? 

Merida dressed and came out wearing a very Merida-like grin. It was a grin she hadn’t worn for several months; not since Aspen at least. She had that familiar fierce look in her eyes as she pulled on her coat, boots, and hat. 

"If you all think I’m not going to totally smoke you on the ice you’ve got another thing coming." 

"I thought we learned not to challenge Jack to winter sports." Hiccup laughed from his spot on Rapunzel’s bed. Jack leaned against a bedpost, studying the mural Rapunzel was touching up in Merida’s absence. 

"Yeah, besides Princess, I bet you’ve only ever skated on smooth city ice. Natural ice is a whole different ball game." Jack muttered offhand, his brow pulling together curiously. 

"Natural ice? What’re you talking about?" 

Rapunzel turned from her mural where the beginning of Merida’s face was beginning to take shape. The brunette girl wore a wide and excited grin. “We’re going to the lake!” 


	29. Chapter 29

It was a miracle, Rapunzel thought. 

After everything she’d been through she was still ticking down a list of new experiences. She was huddled in Angus tearing off her new fur-lined boots to pull on a pair of skates she’d bought for the occasion. Having money to spend was strange to Rapunzel but Mrs. King always made sure to give her some whenever she went out with her friends. Rapunzel had the sneaking suspicion Mrs. King was trying to make up for lost time. Rapunzel appreciated the gesture but she feared the responsibility. She still felt terribly inclined to please her elders, no matter how little respect those adults had earned. Rapunzel was nothing if not a people pleaser. 

"Come on, Punz! The ice awaits!" Jack called through the window. He had one shoe off and was hopping one-legged through the snow. The laces of his skates were strung through his teeth. Rapunzel could see Merida and Hiccup seated in the slush trying to pull on their own skates. 

"I’m coming!" Rapunzel laughed, lacing up her pair and crawling out onto the frozen beach. 

Angus was parked at the lake’s edge, miles of perfectly frozen ice stretching out before them. The red light of cabins and campfires glittered distantly across the slush. This winter had been unusually cold and it was the first time in several years it had been safe to go out on the ice. Even so, their activity on the lake wasn’t strictly legal. 

Laced up and pink-faced, Merida ventured cautiously out onto the ice. Merida was a fair skater but the roughness of the ice made her nervous. She tentatively offered to help Rapunzel onto the lake but Hiccup stated it was probably better Merida focused on staying upright. Merida conceded his point without much trouble as she slid shakily further out to sea. 

Hiccup was a steady skater and offered his hand to help Rapunzel toe her way onto the lake. He took both her hands, leading her backward and pulling her along as she tried to keep her ankles steady. He was pleasantly surprised to find that there were things Rapunzel wasn’t good at: skating was one of them. 

She was equal parts nervous and excited—a feeling she hadn’t experienced in a long time. It was refreshing, a constant reminder that despite everything she had so many wonderful things left to experience. 

"You’re doing great, Punz!" Jack said excitedly, appearing at her elbow. He was skating lazy circles around them, totally at ease on the ice. It made Rapunzel a little jealous. Her knees were shaking and she sensed she might fall any minute. Mostly she was just afraid of falling on her face. She’d read about the injuries you could get from a wayward toe pick and making a trip to the emergency room was not an experience she was eager to have. 

"Don’t look so worried. Everyone falls their first time out." Hiccup said encouragingly, his fingers tight around her hands. 

There was a light crash followed by an unceremonious OOF! They turned to see Merida sitting flat on her butt in the ice, her face red with anger and embarrassment. Hiccup grinned. “You see what I mean?” He glanced at their joined hands, casting a look back at Merida who was struggling to stand. “You gonna be okay?” He asked as Rapunzel balanced where she stood. 

"Yeah," she muttered nervously, "I think so." With that Hiccup left her to help Merida up from her fall. 

She slid forward cautiously, her whole body trembling nervously. Winter had never been her most stable season. She got cold very easily. She’d always been a summer child, more comfortable basking in an unforgiving heat than an unforgiving cold. Her inexperience on skates didn’t help anything. It had been different skiing. She had been different then. Now, it seemed like, no matter how excited she was, new experiences frightened her. 

It was there, reflecting on the last month and a half, that the trembling grew violent, her knees banging together as she slid further out onto the ice. Her pulse raced to a terrifying peak and she was sliding along the uneven surface much too fast. She slid past Hiccup and Merida where he was picking her up off the ice. She slid out onto the lake, far from handholds or any safe haven. She wobbled an kicked out, crying out involuntarily and pawing at the air for purchase. She registered that Hiccup and Merida had called out to her but the adrenaline was rushing through her ears too loudly to hear them. 

Her toe snagged on a groove in the ice and she tumbled forward…

To fall roughly into Jack’s hands. 

Her knees collided painfully against the ice as Jack’s hands tightened around her arms. They slid awkwardly and uneasily across the water, Jack struggling to pull her to a standing position. He let out a curse before he hoisted her to her feet, an arm around to steady her. Her breath was heavy and nervous, her face red with embarrassment and fear. She was shaking, memories of that night in Aspen running through her wicked fast. Hyperventilating, she sank to the ground, her hand going up to the bare nape of her neck where her long hair used to sit. 

Jack crouched in front of her, concern washing over his face. “Rapunzel, are you alright?” 

She looked up at him as if seeing his face for the first time. Her pupils, dilated black and full, narrowed to appropriate size as she took him in. His face was inches from hers, bringing a nervous blush to her cheeks. Had she had an episode? She’d had nightmares, of course, but this was different. She was awake and suddenly it had been like the fear had come back fresh and new. Her embarrassment stained her cheeks bright. “Yes,” she muttered quietly, “yes, I’m fine. I just lost control for a second. Thanks for catching me.” 

The double meaning in her words wasn’t lost on Jack. He gave her a worried look, but didn’t press. Instead he helped her to her feet. Merida skated over uneasily, closely followed by Hiccup. “You alright, Punz? Don’t ya think you were going a wee bit too fast there? Don’t get too cocky. You might end up like Frost here and then we won’t be able to fit any of ya in Angus for the ride home.” She chuckled, lightly bumping Rapunzel’s shoulder. 

Rapunzel was relieved that her little breakdown was missed by the other two. She glanced at Jack as if to say that she was alright. 

Hiccup helped Rapunzel gain her bearings after that. Hiccup was a decent instructor and he taught her how to shift her weight lightly from left to right. Before long and after a couple of uncomfortable falls on her ass, Rapunzel was skating well enough across the ice. She certainly wasn’t going to be a professional but she was having fun again, her little episode quickly forgotten. She and Merida slid slowly hand in hand, making mocking comments about the boys as they went. Sometimes they pretended to gossip about stuff even when they weren’t actually saying anything. It seemed to get on Jack’s nerves though Hiccup merely rolled his eyes a lot. Rapunzel did catch him looking at them nervously though when he thought she wasn’t looking. Hiccup cared what people thought of him, whether he wanted to admit it or not. 

Jack had the maturity to retaliate by skating circles around the girls so that they couldn’t go anywhere. He was a fast and talented skater and had no trouble performing jumps to keep them in their spot. Whenever Merida tried to deck him in the face he slid away effortlessly. At one point Merida stumbled and fell, seated on the ice, and Jack did a spectacular jump over her, cackling all the way. It left Rapunzel laughing and breathless, watching as Merida crawled across the ice to reach the white-haired boy that was always out of reach. 

By now they were several feet out onto the lake, Angus a distant black mound amidst a copse of bare trees. Jack was skimming further and further out onto the water, a distant look in his blue eyes. Merida and Rapunzel wandered arm in arm as Hiccup observed the sky with his usual calculating expression. 

"We should head back. Looks like it might snow." He said, turning to look at the girls. 

Merida glanced up. “You afraid of a wee blizzard?” 

Hiccup scoffed. “I’m of northern blood. We vikings laugh in the face of a blizzard.” 

Merida snorted. “Yeah, vikings maybe, but you? I don’t think I’d use viking as a descriptor.” 

"You wound me."

Rapunzel broke away from Merida, her eyes following Jack as he darted across the ice. His movements were slowing, his skates circling a spot on the lake. He was a good twenty feet away, his back turned to his friends. She opened her mouth to speak, to tell him to come back, that they were heading home… 

And then his back tensed. Her blood ran cold. Merida and Hiccup were still joking behind her: they hadn’t noticed the way that Jack’s hand came up to cover his eyes. The way his knees buckled under him. The way he lost his footing and fell face first into a layer of snow. It seemed like years before the sound of his cry reached Rapunzel’s ears. 

Rapunzel found that terror didn’t begin to describe the foreign emotion she felt when Jack did not get up. 


	30. Chapter 30

Jack was fifteen. 

He stood at the edge of the water looking anxious, his blue eyes darting from cloud to cloud. He wrung his hat between his hands, strands of unruly brown hair falling in front of his eyes. Snowflakes drifted uncertainly through the air, as if the sky couldn’t decide whether or not it wanted to storm or not. 

"Honey, what are you doing out here so early?" Jack’s mother’s voice drifted behind him, a warm amusement evident in her tone. He turned to look at her. She wore warm brown eyes and brown hair proudly where she stood on the back porch of their cabin, a quilt wrapped around her shoulders. 

The cabin was a shabby rented thing on the edge of the lake. His mother had spent months saving up to take Jack and his little sister for a short vacation. A single mother, she did her best to provide in what little ways she could for her children. 

"I just wanted to make sure it wasn’t going to snow too much. I promised Emma I’d take her skating." The nervousness in his voice brought a smile to his mother’s face. She descended the steps and pressed a warm hand to Jack’s pink face. 

"I checked the weather. You should be fine. Besides, even if it did snow I’m sure Emma would forgive you." She leaned forward to peck him on the brow. She had to stand on her tiptoes. Jack was already a good foot taller than she was. It was one of the few traits he’d inherited from his father; otherwise he looked like his mother, all warm and smiles. 

"I would not!" A small voice called from beyond the screen door. Emma stood beyond the glass pulling her skates on with determination. "You promised and I’m gonna hold you to it! No tricks!" Strands of brown hair fell in her face and she flicked them away with impatience. Jack stifled a laugh, moving to hold the door open for his vivacious little sister. 

"Agreed, no tricks." Jack held his hands up in supplication, hiding a mischievous smile. 

Emma gave him a suspicious look before trudging awkwardly out into the snow, her ankles wobbling on the blades of her skates. She nearly tripped but quickly recovered herself, strutting proudly toward the ice with her chin held high. It was unequivocally adorable. Jack moved to follow her, his arm abruptly caught by his mother’s delicate hand. She leaned up to whisper in his ear. “Have fun and stay safe.” Her smile was equal parts amused and wary, eyes watching Emma disappear toward the lake. 

Jack smiled down at her, giving her a quick half-hug before following Emma. “We will!” He finished with a laugh, trotting toward the beach to scoop up Emma, his skates tucked over an arm. 

Emma protested all the way across the ice, her voice drowning out the sound of Jack’s boots crunching in the snow. “You said no tricks!” 

"Did I? That doesn’t seem like something I would say." Jack feigned innocence and set her down on her feet, steadying her on the ice. She was a fair enough skater, so he wasn’t too concerned as he began to unlace his boots to put on his own skates. 

Emma wasn’t particularly convinced by his innocence and proceeded to thump him on the forehead. He let out of mocking noise of pain and sat on the ice to peel off his shoes. Emma stuck out her tongue at him and darted out across the water, sliding expertly away from his grip so that he might not exact his revenge. 

"Where ya going?" He laughed, pulling off a boot and abandoning it in the snow. 

"Nowhere." Emma quipped, a tiny satisfied smile visible on her face as she skimmed across the uneven terrain. Jack snorted, pulling off his other boot and beginning to work through the tangled laces of his skates. 

An audible CRACK rippled across the lake. 

Jack froze, looking up to see Emma frozen where she stood on a spot of ice, her face pale and white and terrified. For a moment she didn’t seem to understand what was happening: she merely stared down between her feet in utter shock. 

Then she began to cry, her voice calling out desperately for Jack. 

He stood without thinking, his movements instinctive, automatic. He was halfway across the ice before another CRACK stopped him dead in his tracks. He looked between his bare feet; just visible beyond a layer of fine snow were the shattered marks of the lake’s surface. His own terrified face reflected back at him, eyes wide, face pale. 

"Jack!" Emma cried, taking a measured step forward. The ice snapped beneath her, a deadly line snaking out where the toe of her skates connected with the ice. "Jack, what do I do!" 

Distantly Jack could hear his mother yelling for them from the back porch. She’d heard Emma’s cries and would undoubtedly be on the ice in no time. But that wasn’t smart. That wasn’t safe. Any more weight and surely the ice would give. 

"Shhh, don’t worry, you’re gonna be just fine." He beckoned her across the ice, despite her protesting. "You’ve gotta trust me, Em." He said, as the ice continued to creak beneath her. 

She debated a moment, tears still streaming down her face. “I… I do, Jack.” She hiccuped and began to trek across, little hops where the ice seemed more solid. After a moment she was close enough for Jack to scoop up. The ice CRACKED again beneath their combined weight and Jack flung her unceremoniously toward the shore. 

She screamed but landed solidly, rubbing at her butt where she sat in the snow. She looked up, eyes full of relief when she realized that she was, in fact, alive. She laughed, wiping tears from her face. 

Jack laughed, relief coursing through him faster than adrenaline. 

And then the relief was gone. 

The ice gave beneath him with a great CRASH and suddenly he couldn’t feel anything. His breath rushed from his lungs. Water filled his ears. Faintly he heard someone screaming his name. Water swirled around him and swallowed him up, carrying him away from consciousness. Before long he was drifting. Only the cold was his companion in the dark though the sound of their screams followed him through the labyrinth. They followed him into the water and not even their combined warmth was enough to save them all. 

Suddenly their screams sounded clearer, like the water was draining from his ears. He could feel again and it seemed as though the cold was not his only companion. Warm hands clutched at his face, fingers threading through his hair. Their voices were not the ones who’d been calling for him in the water. Those voices were gone, lost to the murky depths of the lake. But still these voices sounded the same, just as filled with terror and concern. 

When his eyes opened, Jack was eighteen again, though he felt much older. 

His eyes locked with concerned green ones. Rapunzel had pulled his head into her lap and she held his face between two hands. Merida sat next to her, vibrant curls falling around him. Her blue eyes were filled with tears. Mechanically he reached up to wipe one away. 

"Hiccup! He’s awake!" Rapunzel called. Hiccup appeared, a cell phone to his ear, he leaned down a respectable distance away, his fingers moments away from dialing 911. "Jack, Jack, what happened, are you alright?" Rapunzel asked nervously, brushing back strands of silver hair from his eyes. 

He stared up at the three of them, dumbfounded, like he couldn’t decide on an emotion. Then he sat up, a stupid smile breaking across his face. 

"I remember. I remember my family." 


	31. Chapter 31

Things were not going as planned. 

Hiccup lay wasted on the carpet in his room, his head pounding a dull roar to the time of his heartbeat. He asked himself how they had come to this. He couldn’t quite remember. The memory of it was skirting his grasp, dancing around the edge of his consciousness. He imagined himself a very poor imitation of Wile E. Coyote, chasing after a meal he would never catch. 

Staring up at his pale ceiling, it came back to him in drips and drivels, memories oozing from a dark part of his muddled consciousness. 

After Jack’s revelation, they spent the next week in the mad throes of research. Hiccup attempted to convince Stoick that helping Jack was bro bonding time so that he might aid in the quest for Jack to find his family. Stoick, rather skeptical, instead finding the practice very touchy-feely, submitted to helping on the condition that Hiccup take up boxing. Hiccup didn’t particularly like the idea, but he agreed to it nevertheless. 

With Stoick’s help, of course, drudging up public records became much easier. 

And consequently much more heartbreaking. 

The gang took Jack to her gravestone. It was an hours drive south to a little town in the middle of nowhere where desert stretched for miles in every direction. Slaughterhouses ringed the edge of the town, the smell ominous as they drove silently past them. There was some argument with the GPS about where the cemetery was but eventually Hiccup was able to navigate them there, despite Merida’s vehement protests that they were going the wrong way. Jack remained silent in the back. Hiccup felt himself glancing worriedly back at his friend. He’d never seen the boy look so solemn, like he’d been given the chance of a lifetime only to have it snatched from his fingers. 

It was raining, a puddle stretching across the browned grass of the cemetery. In the desert, the soil wasn’t made to soak up water, so instead it sat swirling atop the earth, flooding into their shoes. Hoods pulled up over their heads, the four of them trekked through the muck across the cemetery grounds in search of the precise headstone they were looking for. It took them a few minutes and by the time Rapunzel called to them to say she’d found her, Hiccup was soaked to the bone. 

That wasn’t what made his blood run cold, however. It was the way Jack froze where he stood on the marked path, his eyes disappearing beneath the hood of his jacket. He didn’t seem to want to move, however, until finally he picked up one foot after the other and made his way to where Rapunzel stood. Hiccup followed slowly, Merida trailing behind like a terrified bird. 

Jack stopped before the headstone and stared at it for a long time. It felt like an eternity. So long he stood there, Hiccup realized after a minute that he’d been holding his breath, waiting for Jack to react. When he finally did, Hiccup wished he hadn’t been waiting for it. 

The taller boy crumpled to his knees, his hands reaching up to cover his face. His tears were lost to the rain but his cries were not. Rapunzel fell down next to him automatically, perfectly on instinct, while Hiccup and Merida stood back waiting for the same instinct to kick in. It did not. 

"I should have been there—" Jack cried, his normally jovial voice filled with anguish. 

"She tried to save you. There was nothing you could do." Rapunzel cooed, a hand on his back. 

"We shouldn’t even have been out there! It wasn’t safe!" 

"You didn’t know that. Nobody knew. It was an accident. You can’t blame yourself." 

"But if I hadn’t—" 

"Jack." Her voice was stern and she held his tearful gaze steadily until finally he broke, his head falling to rest against her shoulder. Her hand moved up to cradle his head as he cried. 

Finally Hiccup mustered the courage to step next to them. He read the name carved into the tombstone in fine script: Sarah Marie Overland, Beloved Daughter and Mother. Emma’s name was absent and it was the only thing that kept Hiccup steady on his feet. 

He placed a hand on Jack’s shoulder. “Emma’s still out there, Jack. We’ll find her.” Jack’s tears seemed to quiet after that, his tall form slumped with release. Merida appeared next to Hiccup, shaking either with cold or anxiety, Hiccup wasn’t sure which. She crept up and latched onto Hiccup’s arm, burying her face in his shoulder as tears streamed down her cheeks. He could sympathize. He felt like crying himself, but the tears wouldn’t come. It seemed they were lost in the shock of the moment, the image of Jack crumpling replaying over and over in his head. 

It was this image that reminded Hiccup of where he was and how he’d gotten here. As soon as they’d gotten back from their less-than-thrilling adventure they’d shut up in Hiccup’s bedroom with a bottle of 100 proof vodka and started telling war stories. Good stories and bad stories and anything to pass the time. They passed the bottle back and forth until their stories didn’t make sense anymore and they’d all collapsed on the floor amongst each other. He recalled, at one point, he’d been holding Rapunzel’s hand for dear life. Another Merida had curled into his side and fallen asleep for a time. 

Long ago he had imagined that this is what it would be like to have friends that understood him. Friends that he didn’t have to put on a special face for. He didn’t have to be the best for. He just had to be himself. Around the nerds he had to be the smartest. Around the jocks he had to be the strongest. Around his father he had to be the manliest. But around Jack and Rapunzel and Merida he could be himself. 

He came to with this smile on his lips, the shapes on his walls and ceiling finally blossoming into view. They sharpened, his vision clearing beyond the haze of his delirium: a vibrant mix of alcohol and grief. He sat up to observe his surroundings. 

His hair was at all angles and his throat was parched. Merida breathed soundlessly next to him, curled in upon herself. She looked the most peaceful when she was asleep. He brushed a lock of curly red hair from her eyes and glanced around for Jack and Rapunzel. 

He was surprised to find they were nowhere to be found. 

Uneasily he stood up to creep through the house, leaving Merida to slumber. The door squeaked as he left but she didn’t rouse. He couldn’t say he was surprised. 

Their voices drifted up from the bottom of the stairs. Jack’s was rather louder than Rapunzel’s. He was still, unequivocally, very drunk. She didn’t sound like she was in the slightest bit affected and Hiccup now recalled that she hadn’t taken as many drinks as the rest of them had. Of the four of them, Jack and Merida had certainly drunk the most. 

"Where are you gonna go, Jack? Social services?" Rapunzel asked, her voice remarkably steady. 

"If I have to." His words slurred and he let out a frustrated curse. "No. I don’t know. I don’t know what to do, Punz. I can’t just sit around." 

"You’re not going to sit around Jack. We just need a little time… And patience. She’s alive. She’s out there. We’ll find her. You’re not going through this alone." Hiccup crept to peer over the balcony. Rapunzel and Jack sat at the bottom of the stairs. She seemed to be trying to get him to keep his voice down. Jack still held the bottle of vodka, however, and quieting down wasn’t something that was like to happen anytime soon. 

The silver-haired youth seemed to deflate, his body swaying where he sat. “I know. I shouldn’t—I’m lucky that you guys are here for me.” He admitted, his head drooping with shame. 

"Don’t do that." Rapunzel snapped, looking away. 

"Wha—do what?" 

"Don’t chastise yourself for not being there for me. I chose to do it on my own. I had to know if I could. Stop feeling guilty about something that isn’t your fault. All of you." She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest, short hair bouncing with the movement. 

"Rapunzel, I didn’t…" 

"What? Feel guilty? Feel sorry for yourself? Or both?" 

Jack sat dumbstruck, a brief moment of sobriety seeming to clear his vision. Then he began to laugh. Rapunzel stared at him, confused. Apparently her outburst hadn’t had the desired effect. 

"What? What are you laughing at?" 

"You are the most optimistic person I’ve ever met." 

Her brow furrowed, uncertain. “Is that a bad thing?” 

Jack shook his head, his whole body swaying with the movement. “No. Not at all.” He watched her take in this comment a moment, her uncertainty changing to a pleasant smile. Her hand moved up automatically to tug at her hair. When it didn’t find any it floundered with air, bringing an embarrassed blush up to her cheeks. She missed her long hair but she supposed it was good to have a new Rapunzel to go along with her new life. 

Jack’s muddled eyes seemed to watch the gesture and it was another moment where he, like the rest of them, couldn’t give up his guilt that they weren’t there for her when she needed them most. He looked down at his hands, then back up. “Rapunzel, I…” 

She looked up, curious. “What?” 

It was a split second before he leaned over to peck her cheek. A blush surged up her face and her green eyes grew wide. “What was that for?” 

Jack seemed to contemplate a moment, as if he didn’t quite know himself. “To thank you.” 

"For what?" 

"Being you." She took this in slowly, processing it as blood crept further and further up her cheeks. Jack’s face was red as well, but Hiccup suspected that was mostly from the alcohol. 

But there, their heads inclined on the first step of the staircase, the two seemed to freeze. And Hiccup registered now would probably be a good time to announce his presence but he didn’t. Instead he waited for time to start back up. 

When it did Jack’s lips were on Rapunzel’s and her hand was on his neck and their voices were lost to the growing silence of the entryway and the violent crescendo of Hiccup’s mounting panic. 

He disappeared behind a wall, his eyes wide and his mouth agape. Two words slipped from his lips in a breathy whisper. 

Holy shit. 


	32. Chapter 32

Merida awoke to the strong scent of Pine cleaning solution. 

Her face was pressed against the rug, tendrils of wild hair stuck to her cheeks. A little drool soaked into the fibers, wetting her face. She sat up abruptly, wiping the saliva from her face. 

Above her Hiccup worked diligently at mopping the hardwood floors. His brow was wet with sweat and he wore a manic look in his eyes as if he hadn’t slept in days. The room was sparkling, a fresh layer of cleaning solution visible on every surface. Merida pushed her hair from her face, drowsiness disappearing fast. A headache came quickly to replace it. 

"What in the bloody hell are you doing?" 

"Cleaning." Hiccup responded curtly without looking back. He fumbled with the broom before getting it back in control. 

"I can see that. I was more referring to why." 

He floundered, jostling the mop from hand to hand nervously. “Uhhh, well, my dad is getting home soon and you know I don’t want him to know we’ve been drinking—” 

Merida groaned, pulling herself onto his bed. She promptly curled up in the covers. “Aye, come on, Hic. Why do you do this to yourself? You know he’d probably throw a party if he thought you’d been living on the edge a little bit.” 

Hiccup replied with nervous laughter. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. I’ll just go put up this mop then.” He ran a hand through his hair and made for the door. 

It opened before he got there. 

Rapunzel stood in the doorway looking tired but otherwise better off than either Hiccup or Merida. 

"You look like a ray of sunshine." Merida commented with sarcasm, her blue eyes rolling. Rapunzel shook her head, taking a seat next to the drowsy redhead. Neither of the girls seemed to notice the look of panic slapped across Hiccup’s face. "What time is it?"

"A little after seven." Rapunzel replied. "How long have you all been up?" 

"Oh hours, you know." Merida quipped with a wicked smile. Rapunzel merely smiled and shook her head. "What about you, Hic? How long have you been cleaning the place?" 

Hiccup set his head atop the mop, fingers drumming a staccato beat against the sides. “Oh, you know, two or three hours. Not a big deal.” 

"That is bloody dedication." 

"Do you want some help?" Rapunzel offered, making as if to stand. 

Hiccup shook his head, waving a hand for her to sit. “No, no, that’s okay. I’m pretty much finished anyway. Say, uh… Where’s Jack?” 

Rapunzel winced and cocked her head in the direction of the bathroom. “He’s been in front of the toilet for the better part of an hour. I tried to help, but I think he just needs to ride it out. He had a LOT to drink.” She chuckles quietly and brushes a strand of hair from her face. 

Merida rolled onto her stomach, pulling out her phone to surf idly. “Oye, sounds like we’re gonna have a bloody wonderful Valentine’s day.” 

The other two startled, both of their eyes wide. “What?” Rapunzel asked, face white. 

"It’s Valentine’s Day. I mean I know we lost track of time, but this is ridiculous. And I didn’t even get me a fair date for the evening. I could use a decent lay. Then again, a new guy on Valentine’s Day always comes with so much baggage. Probably better going stag." Merida ranted, though she continued to scroll through her phone contacts as if a viable prospect might pop up. She would have killed for a little distraction. Not that her friends didn’t do a spectacular job, but occasionally Merida greatly desired something a little more physical and all-consuming. Nevertheless, she was probably right about Valentine’s Day. 

"Uh, okay. Whatever you say. I’m gonna go… Check on Jack." Rapunzel said uncertainly. She stood, smoothed her shirt, and made a beeline out of the room. Hiccup watched her go with wide eyes. 

"You know what’s weird?" Merida began. Hiccup snapped to attention. He still clung to the mop. 

"Hmm?" 

"Punz has never traded valentine’s day cards. Or gotten a valentine. Not to say she won’t get tons in her locker when we get back to school on Monday, but it’s just weird. I mean, I always loved Valentine’s Day." 

Hiccup snorted, seeming to forget a little bit of his anxiety. “I bet you did.” 

She sat up. “What’s that supposed to mean?” 

He huffed and rolled his eyes. “It means that you’ve always had a Valentine, am I right? Pretty girl like you, why wouldn’t you?” 

"And so what if I have?" 

"Upset that you don’t have one this year?" 

"Well I WAS going to ask you to be my Valentine but just for that I’ll have to ask Jack instead." She stuck out her tongue and laughed as Hiccup’s face went white again. "I’m just kidding. Spending too much time with any of you three on Valentine’s day is just weird. My ghosts of Valentine’s Day past were always a little too risque for the likes of you guys, no offense." 

Hiccup looked offended, abandoning the mop against a bookshelf and sitting across from her on the bed. “And what is that supposed to mean?” 

Merida looked uncertain, sitting up on her elbows. “Well, you know, you’re all just so…” 

"You think we’re all virgins." 

"I didn’t say that." 

"I think you did." 

"Not in so many words."

"It was in the subtext." 

Merida rolled her eyes, defeated. “Okay, yes, you’re all very virginal.” 

"Well, I hate to shatter your image of me, but I’m not a virgin." Hiccup replied, splaying his hands. He cast a look over his shoulder at the open door. The sound of Jack groaning pathetically could be heard down the hall. Evidently events in the bathroom weren’t going well. 

Merida’s jaw dropped, her expression scandalized. “You and Astrid? But she left! You guys were fourteen!” 

Hiccup shook his head. “It wasn’t like that! We tried the long distance thing after she left. We did pretty well for like a year but then we started to drift apart and I went to visit her and in this weird last ditch attempt to save our relationship we did it. It kind of backfired.” 

Merida blinked. “Obviously.” 

Hiccup sighed. “Obviously.” 

She considered this thoughtfully. “Do you regret it?” 

He ran a hand through his hair uncertainly, debating internally a moment. “Yes and no. I mean, it’s not how I imagined my first time would go but I’m glad it was with her. I don’t think I ever really got over her.” He chuckled in embarrassment, glancing at the handiwork of the last three hours. 

"Rightfully so. Astrid was a knockout. If you had’t taken her I probably would have." 

"And I never would have stood a chance." 

"You’re bloody right you wouldn’t have." Merida laughed in time for Rapunzel and Jack to make an appearance in the doorway. Rapunzel supported a green-looking Jack. He seemed to crush the little brunette, though she bore it with an uneasy smile. 

Merida took him in with a skeptical expression. “Have you slept?” 

Jack grunted a noise of protest. “S’not quite.” 

She sat up, red hair flying and gestured to the bed. “I think it’s time someone had a wee nap.” 


	33. Chapter 33

School was total chaos. 

Rapunzel had never received so much attention in her life. Every corner she turned there was someone waiting for her with a valentine. Some were friendly, just girls or boys who she chatted with amiably who were kind enough to give her a little themed scrap of paper telling her to have a happy Valentine’s day. Others looked as if to score a date for the evening, toting flowers and candy and stuffed animals as far as the eye could see. 

It was difficult to say no to all of them. Merida stood bodyguard for most of the day. Rapunzel tried to decline most of the gifts offered to her but Merida did manage to steal a few boxes of candy off a few poor boys and girls who’d mustered the courage to ask if Rapunzel would be their valentine. All of them she politely declined, assuring them that they were wonderful people and she hoped they found someone special to be their Valentine. 

Her own thoughts of the holiday were of general uneasiness. She used to dream about Valentine’s Day quite romantically, assuming that her prince charming would come along to give her the cliched holiday experience of her dreams. 

That wasn’t like to happen. In fact, she wasn’t sure she wanted it. 

She had much bigger problems on her plate. Hiccup was supposed to have Emma’s place of residence by the end of the day and to make matters worse she was starting to get replies from universities. 

Her teachers praised her left and right for each and every acceptance she received. One from Yale, one from RISD, one from NYU and Oxford and SAIC. And each of them loomed before her like terrible hanging questions. It seemed each school was vying to give her as many scholarships as possible and yet none of it felt quite right. Like none of the schools were the place she belonged. Each acceptance felt hollow, empty promises. 

She’d been in this funk for the better part of an hour when Merida roused her from her stupor during lunch. The redhead was accepting another box of chocolate on her behalf, explaining ardently to a hulking exchange student from Algeria that unfortunately she and Rapunzel were an item. 

Rapunzel kindly took the box of candy from Merida’s hands and handed it back to the smiling boy with an apologetic grimace. “She’s joking. But I really can’t accept this. Thank you very much for the thought though. I really appreciate it.” The boy nodded, accepting, and walked back to his table where a portly boy and a small rat-like boy sat watching with bated breath. 

"Why do you keep doing that? I cannot understand why you’d turn down all these eligible bachelors. I’ve half a mind to take some of them for you." Merida said where she sat on the table top, her feet stretched out over the bench. Rapunzel sat next to her feet, shaking her head. 

"They all just feel bad for me. It’s sweet, but not the good foundation for a relationship." 

"Relationship? Pah. Who says you need a relationship. Punz, you’ve gotta get out there. You’re the one who wanted to try new things. Dating and all that comes with it, that’s new." Merida laughed, ruffling Rapunzel’s hair. 

"I don’t know. It’s just… Well, everything moves so fast these days. I can’t keep up anymore." She muttered quietly, picking at the sleeve of her sweater nervously. "Where are the boys?" 

"Hic’s Dad took them down to social services during lunch block to talk about Emma. Guess they just want to make sure Jack is who he says he is before they contact Emma’s family." 

"What if she doesn’t want to see him?" 

A pause, the moment heavy with the implications. The fallout if Emma refused to see Jack would be catastrophic. He’d never been quite so low as the night after visiting his mother’s grave. He’d drunk himself to the brink of a hospital visit and then spent the next fourteen hours in a coma, waking only to take proffered sips of water and one rather stale piece of toast. The others had watched him as he slumbered, drifting in and out of dreams that made him twitch and cry out. ‘We’re never letting him do that again.’ Hiccup had said icily. 

"That won’t happen." Merida finally replied, her fingers twisted together, knotting and unknotting as she watched. 

"How can you be sure?" Rapunzel asked, even though she already knew the answer. 

"Because Jack isn’t someone you can easily turn away. He’s not perfect, but saying no to him is like breaking off a part of yourself and letting it drift away with him." 

They grew silent, taking in these words. Rapunzel thought about that night and wondered if that’s what happened. She couldn’t say no. And yet it still felt as if she broken off a part of herself and let it drift away with him. 

An hour they sat on the first step on the staircase, losing themselves. Rapunzel hadn’t been drunk but she hadn’t been sober either. She recalled that little voice in her head telling her that something about this wasn’t right, that neither of them were fit to make these kinds of mistakes in their condition. But that didn’t seem to stop her. Her fingers had curled into his hair. The bitterness of vodka still sat on his lips. She’d clung to his shoulders as if she might float away and he had clutched at her waist as if he might sink through the floor. They were falling upward and downward, kisses trading grief for comfort. 

It had been incredible catharsis, but still Rapunzel didn’t feel right. Like she couldn’t decide if it was the worst or best mistake of her entire life. Not to mention she hadn’t spoken a word of it to Hiccup or Merida. Nor, either, had she spoken to Jack since she’d pulled him dripping sweat from the bathroom. 

There she had found him collapsed before the toilet, tears streaming down an eerily blank expression. Like he’d given up. For a moment it had terrified her before he’d roused with a fit of vomit and collapsed against the wall with a smile, looking up at her like he always did; the same Jack as ever. 

She didn’t even know if he remembered that night. And perhaps it was better that way. It was a new experience for Rapunzel, something to tick off her list. But losing her friend because of the results of hormones and alcohol was not something she wanted to happen. So perhaps it was just better to keep quiet about the whole thing. 

Forget it ever happened. 


	34. Chapter 34

Jack felt numb. 

His fingers drummed nervously on the smooth leather of Merida’s back seat. His limbs were jittery to the bone, vibrating with anxiety. Every corner they turned he perked up in his seat, as if expecting to see Emma standing on the curb waiting for him. Regardless, he hadn’t spoken much since they visited his mother’s grave. His face was paler than usual, gaunt and afraid. He wasn’t sure what would be waiting for him beyond that door and he was afraid to find out. 

His long fingers trembled, knuckles going white as they clenching the material of his jeans over his knees. 

A small tan hand threaded through his fingers, stilling the anxiety for a moment. Jack met eyes with Rapunzel who sat next to him, offering him a warm look devoid of grief or smiles. It was carefully blank yet somehow encouraging. 

They hadn’t talked about their kiss and in that brief moment, Jack felt a pang of guilt. He hadn’t spared a moment to talk to her about it—-because they needed to talk about it, whether they wanted to admit it or not. He was just too consumed in seeing Emma again, regaining what little was left of his family. 

He knew she didn’t begrudge him that. He returned her look with the slightest squeeze of his hand. 

He could feel Hiccup and Merida’s eyes on him from the front seat. Merida checked the rear view every few seconds, as if Jack might implode in the back seat. He ought to have felt annoyed by the hyper concern but he couldn’t think about anything other than the little house they were pulling up to, with a colorful windmill out front, a hummingbird feeder hanging from the ceiling of the porch, and a brightly colored flag whipping in the cold winter wind. 

They were a few minutes early and it took Jack those few minutes to make his way to the door. His friends had to coax him from the car gently, like an animal about to bolt. He almost wanted to forgo the whole thing—what if Emma blamed him for what happened to their mom? Hated him? What if this was the biggest mistake of his life. 

He got up to the door and raised his fist to knock. 

And froze. 

No, he couldn’t do it. They had to go back. He had to convince his friends to hightail it out of there before the people inside realized anyone was on the porch. Before they started to wonder where their visitors were. He had to run. Fly away. Forget everything again. Yes, that was the answer. He had to—

Merida heaved an exasperated sigh and reached from behind him to rap loudly on the front door. His eyes grew wide with panic. It didn’t last long. 

The front door opened almost immediately to a most unusual sight. Haloed in the doorway was a voluptuous girl of perhaps sixteen. She couldn’t have been taller than four feet but she was impressive. She had spiky hair in blue, green, and yellow. It flattered her surprisingly well, sporting warm Indian skin. She wore a beautiful knee-length dress in the same colors as her hair and she was in the process of putting a pair of gold hoops in her ears as she pushed the door open. None of this, however, was quite as impressive as her smile which broke out big and white, her eyes lighting up at the sight of the four of them. 

"You must be Jack! It’s so nice to meet you." She extended a hand for him to shake. 

He blinked, dumbfounded, before tentatively shaking her hand. 

"I’m Ana, Emma’s sister—well, adopted sister. Obviously." She laughed, peeking around him to look at his friends. "Are you Jack’s friends?" 

Rapunzel moved forward to shake her hand, offering her hand. “Yes. We thought we’d come for moral support. We can leave if it’s an inconvenience.” She offered, smiling demurely. 

"No, no, of course not! I’m sure Emma would love to meet some of Jack’s friends." Ana said, her smile growing. 

"Awesome. I’m Rapunzel. That’s Merida and that’s Hiccup." She replied, pointing at each of them in turn. 

"It’s great to meet you all! Emma should be down any second. She’s just getting dressed for dinner. She’s so excited to see you, Jack. I’ve… Well, I’ve never seen her this—-" 

She was broken off by the sound of thumps coming down a flight of stairs. Before any of them could process what was happening, a small brown blur shot through the doorway past Ana and tackled Jack. He stumbled, trying to remain standing and bumped into Merida who let out an unceremonious curse. 

When he finally got his bearings he looked down at the little girl in his arms who was much too tall now to be held the way he held her, with her arms around his neck and legs wrapped around his torso. Her limbs were thin and gangly, like his, her skin pale and freckled the same way his was. But her eyes were still wide and beautiful and brown, the pattern of dots around her eyes that he used to make fun of even more obvious now than ever. Tears streamed down her face and she hiccuped, burying her face in Jack’s hoodie, hair tangling with the metal buttons on his leather jacket. 

He could feel the eyes of his friends watching him in the shade of the front door. He caught their eyes, their tentative smiles. Even Ana looked on the verge of tears, her hands brought up over her mouth. Merida was biting her lip, Hiccup grinning, and Rapunzel’s eyes were glistening. His gratitude was boundless but he’d have to thank them later. 

Finally Emma lifted her head and took him in as Jack stared wide eyed at the little girl who was once his sister. Still, he held her like he always had because no matter how much she’d grown, her skin felt as familiar as his own. “You’ve gone gray, old man.” She said between hiccups. 

Jack stared at her a moment, blue eyes confused, before he let out a barking laugh and kissed the top of her forehead. “Whatever squirt, you’ve gotten fat.” He replied, depositing her on the porch. 

"I have not! It’s called growing you old fart! 

"I told you not to overindulge in all those twinkies. You are what you eat!" 

"I’m not a twinkie! You’re a twinkie!" She replied, socking him in the arm. He didn’t waste any time in retaliating, fingers deftly finding the spots on her neck and stomach that elicited the most terrifying of squeals. She screamed and laughed, still defenseless until finally he leaned down and wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her hair. She responded similarly, fingers curling in his clothes. 

"I missed you, Jack." 

"I miss you too, Em." 


	35. Chapter 35

Hiccup didn’t want to head home. 

A night with Ana and Emma had been something of an adventure. Ana and her parents were the most welcoming people Hiccup had ever met, aside from, perhaps, Mr. and Mrs. King. They hadn’t questioned the additional dinner guests and had, instead, insisted on pulling out another table and some chairs for dinner. Miraculously they didn’t even begin to run out of food. Ana’s parents served a hearty Indian meal, largely vegetarian, and it was undoubtedly one of the most delicious meals Hiccup had ever had. Even Rapunzel was utterly delighted with the meal, trying everything and even sampling seconds when offered. 

She and Ana hit it off very quickly. They were both the cheeriest people in the room, facilitating conversation between pretty much everyone. There wasn’t a lull, never a dull moment between the two of them. Before the night was over, Rapunzel and Ana were swapping fashion tips and discussing art projects they were currently working on. 

And Emma loved Jack’s new friends. She and Merida took to whispering teasing remarks about Jack next to each other at the dinner table. She even endeavored to ask Rapunzel for boy advice because apparently Rapunzel gave off the impression she had a lot of experience in that area. Rapunzel, naturally, went bright red and assured Emma just to be herself.

Hiccup and Ana got into a spirited discussion about chemistry and biology which was wildly refreshing since Ana wasn’t as crazed as some of his other friends when it came to the sciences. 

Emma studiously avoided Hiccup most of the evening. Ana later informed him that the girl had been staring at him when he wasn’t looking. Apparently she had a crush which was both weird and oddly flattering. Needless to say it left Hiccup in high spirits. At least someone found him adorable. 

Everyone was hesitant to leave that night and none more so than Jack who hadn’t stopped smiling since he’d entered the door. He played with Emma, teased her, and filled her in on everything that had happened in the last three years. And she did the same, talking about how well she was doing in school and all the sports she was excelling in and all the new friends she’d made. 

When they’d left she’d hugged Jack and said that her life had gotten better in the past year but now that he was back it was finally perfect—-or as perfect as it ever would be again. Jack had smiled, kissed the top of her head, and admitted he felt the same way. 

After assuring her that he and his friends would see her and Ana again soon, the four of them left in the cloak of a cold winter night. Merida dropped off Jack first, then Rapunzel, and finally Hiccup on his doorstep. 

Hiccup found himself standing on the threshold of his front door, hesitant to enter. It wasn’t often he had nights that were utterly perfect, utterly wonderful. And it wasn’t as if there was anything in particular that made the evening perfect. It just was. There was no way to describe it. Talking for hours with wonderful people. Seeing two people who loved each other reunited. Seeing friendship unfold like a morning glory blossoming at the rising run. It was just that warm feeling that pooled in your stomach when you realized you could stay with these people and never have to feel scared or excluded or unloved. They would never let you fall. 

That feeling faded the moment Hiccup walked into his house. 

Stoick sat at the kitchen counter, waiting for him. Hiccup hadn’t told his friends about the number of voicemails burning a hole in his pocket the entire night. Instead he’d ignored his buzzing cellphone and instead basked in the glory of the happiness of his friends. But now there was nothing left to do but face his father. 

Piled on the counter top were acceptance letters—-from MIT, from Harvard, Yale, Princeton. They sat in thick bulging envelops, almost spilling off the counter. Stoick sat studying the brochure from MIT, his brows pulled together in deep thought. His expression was unreadable. 

"Sit." He commanded, pointing to the chair across from him without looking up. 

Hiccup crossed the room slowly and sat at the table, staring ahead and willing himself to summon the dregs of bravery deep within his soul. They seemed to trickle out onto the floor, flooding him, drowning him until he couldn’t breathe anymore. 

"Why didn’t you tell me you were applying to all these places, Hiccup?" Stoick asked, thumbing through the packet idly. 

"I… I don’t know." Hiccup finally said after a long moment. Stoick still did not look up. 

Stoick sighed, reaching a hand up to cover his face. He seemed to contemplate his words a moment and then finally he spoke, looking up at Hiccup with a hard unreadable look in his eyes. 

"You know I cannot send you to any of these schools." 

Hiccup felt a thrill of anger run up his spine. He seemed to summon bravery from the air around him, soaking it in fast and terrible like a swirling black hole. His brow pulled together and suddenly there was a vicious look on his normally innocent face. 

"Why, because they don’t cater to your ridiculous standards for manhood?" 

"Hiccup—" 

"No, I’m tired of you treating me like a pariah because I’m not like you. Because I’m not charismatic or strong or fierce or aggressive. I’m smart, Dad! That’s what I am. That’s all I am. Why can’t you just accept that?" 

"Hiccup, that’s not what I meant—" 

"Then what did you mean, Dad? What could possibly keep you from making my dreams come true but your stupid pride? That your son is a disappointment and finally the whole world will know. They’ll know that you’ve been lying to yourself and others about the type of person I am for years. Lying so that you can make yourself look better. Stronger. That our family isn’t broken. That it hasn’t been broken since the day Mom died. Why don’t you just admit that you’re afraid of looking weak?" 

Stoick stood, fury bristling on his face. “That’s what you think? That I don’t want to look weak? Because your mother died?”

"It’s true isn’t it? That you don’t want people to know how much you miss her. That you still cry on the anniversary of her death. That you spend every waking moment in her old training room because that’s the only place in the house that hasn’t changed even since she died. Years, Dad! It’s been years and that room hasn’t changed. Don’t you think it’s time you let go? Don’t you think it’s time you stopped living in the past and start being my Dad again. Because for all intents and purposes my father died with my mother in that car accident. And this? This right here? This just proves to me that I’ve been waiting for a man who will never come back." 

HIccup started to turn, to make his way to the door. He’d always wanted to make an epic exit, to storm out to leave someone to stew in all the hatred he could muster. Now was his chance. And perhaps for the first time he felt as fierce and as strong as his father always wanted him to be. 

"Hiccup! We’re not finished here!" Stoick called after him. 

Hiccup paused, turning just slightly, his green eyes turning to venom as he looked at Stoick’s blazing form. “Yes. We are. Don’t bother calling me. I’m staying with a friend tonight. I’m tired of living in a house I’m not welcome in.” 

With one last look, Hiccup slammed the front door, leaving Stoick to silence. 


	36. Chapter 36

Merida was just out of the shower when Hiccup crawled awkwardly through her bedroom window. 

He tumbled onto her floor face first, his hair cluttered with leaves and his clothes rumpled from the climb up the trellis. She sat on her bed clothed only in a towel as she pulled a hairbrush through a tangle of wet hair. 

She raised an eyebrow at him as he began to stand, brushing himself off. It did not, however, break her stride as she continued to comb through her hair. “Can I help you?” 

Hiccup massaged a crick in his neck and shrugged, looking at her sheepishly. “Is it cool if I crash here tonight?” 

Merida blinked, taking in the circles under his eyes and the way he seemed to deflate under her gaze, exhaustion in every line of his body. 

She sighed and scooted over, beckoning him to sit next to her. “Spill while I get dressed.” She stated firmly, standing and moving into her closet. Hidden from his prying eyes she began to get dressed, listening intently from her walk-in closet as he began his story. 

It was a story that sounded eerily familiar to her own except hers had been quite a bit more teary and had reconciled more than it had been destructive. Through the wall Hiccup sounded terribly tired, like several years worth of pent up anger and grief had been expelled in a single moment. It occurred to Merida that despite how close they were, she could tell he wished the whole group was there to hear his story. They were a unit and not having Rapunzel and Jack there to share in his moment of anguish, to help lighten the load, was rather hollow. After all, Merida wasn’t great at comfort. But she was the closest and she had the savvy and the space to keep Hiccup from her parents. 

It didn’t really hurt her feelings that she wasn’t enough though. She would have felt the same. She had felt the same. And she knew if they called Rapunzel and Jack the two of them would come running. But Hiccup was too private and too proud to admit that he needed anyone else. They all knew it, even if he didn’t. 

Finally Merida emerged from the closet dressed in sweatpants and a threadbare tank top. She flopped behind Hiccup on the bed, her hair soaking the material of her t-shirt. “Sounds like you’ve had a rough night.” 

"Yeah, a bit." 

"What are you gonna do about it?" 

He ran a hand through his hair, sighing deeply. His back was to her but even through the thick material of his winter coat Merida could see the tenseness in his shoulders. She’d known Hiccup for years but she’d never seen him like this. Utterly broken. She wondered if this is what he looked like when his mother had died. She hadn’t known him then. It was a terrible sight, watching her friends fall apart. 

In some ways she had been as naive as Rapunzel. She’d never known people could look like this, be like this. Broken, shattered, fragments of themselves. And as much as she wanted to know how to fix things she never knew how. All she could do was watch and wait for things to stitch themselves back together. She envied her friends their healing powers. 

"I don’t know. But I can’t stay there. I can’t live with him anymore. At least you know you mom loves you. I feel like my dad lost the capacity for that a long time ago." He sounded resigned, like the fact was unchangeable. 

Merida sat up, placing her chin on his shoulder. He didn’t look up from his hands. “You don’t know that. Your dad cares. He’ll come around. Just give him a little time. I’m sure you threw him for a loop tonight. You surprised him. That’s something.” They didn’t feel like the right words. They didn’t feel good enough to relieve his pain. But they were all she had. 

"Thanks. For letting me stay here. I could have gone to Rapunzel’s but… I don’t know, things would be weird." He blushed a little bit and Merida had to hold back a laugh. 

"Because she doesn’t know that you saw her and Jack making out while totally smashed?" 

Hiccup’s eyes grew wide and he whipped around to look at her. “How do you—” 

"Please, Hic. I have a sense about these things. Not to mention your obsessively cleaning kind of gave them away. You’re a terrible liar. You should really learn to work on subtlety." She giggled and nudged him with an elbow before laying back against the pillows on the bed. "They’ll deal with it on their own. Besides, at least some of us are finally getting some. This years dry spell has been unbelievable. You three are killing my buzz honestly." She snickered and winked at him before rolling up in the covers of the bed and disappearing save for her face and drying hair. 

"Take off your bloody shoes before you climb in this bed because if you get it dirty you’re washing it." She mocked, pulling one of the smaller pillows to her chest and hugging it closely. She looked very small under the covers, sad and nervous. So easily, it seemed, Merida fell apart. But no, not with them. Not with her friends. Not with them around she would not fall apart. 

Hiccup shook his head and peeled off his shoes before laying flat next to her on top of the covers, staring up at the ceiling as if he might glimpse the stars through it. He could feel her eyes on him, boring through his skull. Her worry touched him, filled him with a little of that warmth he’d experienced earlier that night, before everything had gone to shit. He’d spent so much of his time alone and now he had people who loved him unconditionally. Perhaps that was truly what had finally set him off. He had people to fall back to. Even when all else failed. 

"I should note that if I wake up and you’ve got a boner I’m throwing you out the window." 


	37. Chapter 37

Rapunzel sat under the stairwell between the main building and the gym, contemplating life.

Things were going strangely well. It was surreal, three months after the Great Cataclysm that was her life, that things were back to normal—or, at least, as normal as things were ever like to get with the four of them.

Laughter was the word, the warmth in her chest when all they did was sit with each other at lunch. It was it’s own healing balm, calming the soiled spoiled souls in her chest that had been aching secretly for so much of her life. For the first time since that night that she sneaked out of her house to go to a party where she knew no one, her life didn’t seem real—it was a life lived by someone else and surely she would wake up and it would all have been a wonderful dream.

But she never woke up. She supposed she didn’t mind so much, living in a dream.

She turned the acceptance letters over and over in her hands. They seemed to mock her, waiting impatiently for a decision. Thick envelops filled with course catalogs, housing pamphlets, and financial packets. And surprisingly, when Rapunzel had contemplated her future, of getting out of Gothel’s cancerous house, she had never stopped to consider what she would do once she got out—other than, perhaps, to live.

"There you are." His voice brought her from her reverie. The school was quiet, except for the loud beating of her heart in her head. Classes had ben out of session for hours but she’d told Mrs. King she had a meeting with her art teacher and wouldn’t be home for some time.

Which was true. They’d had an extensive discussion about her college options. He’d impressed upon her her utter potential to be an incredible artist. He implored her to choose the schools of the best prestige because no one would turn her down.

But when they were done and Rapunzel felt no better about her future than she had the hour earlier, she’d hidden under that stairwell and caressed her letters, hugging them to her chest and waiting for the sun or the moon or the stars to tell her what to do.

Instead, it seemed, she got Jack.

She shouldn’t have been surprised to see him. He’d had tutoring and career counseling every afternoon for the past month. He was determined to graduate with an upstanding GPA—enough to garner a few modest scholarships at a state school. He’d still have to make a year or two in community college, but he didn’t seem worried. On the contrary, he seemed thrilled. He knew who he was and where he was going, even if it wasn’t the clearest of paths.

He stood peering into the gap beneath the stairwell, a nervous curiosity in his frame. “Mer’s been texting me nonstop asking where you are. I told her I thought Mrs. King must’ve picked you up after your meeting.” He approached slowly, noting the way the small girl was curled in on herself, a flower wilting in the darkness.

"She lent me her car. I wasn’t quite ready to head home yet." She splayed the envelopes in a fan around her, a melody of options. "I’m not really sure what to do. Six months ago if you asked me what I wanted most I would have answered instantly. Now that I have everything I ever wanted, I don’t know what to want anymore." She sighed. "I mean it should be easy. All I have to do is pick one!" She huffed running her fingers through a tuft of short brown hair.

Jack took this in contemplatively, squatting in front of her to look at the packets. Then he sat across from her and began tossing the packets over his shoulder. Picked up one, examined it, tossed it. Then another. And another. He was down to the last. Rapunzel opened her mouth to speak, to say that now he was just choosing one for her, and then he surprised her by tossing that one over his shoulder too.

He looked up at her seriously, his hands clasped together around his knees. “Don’t pick any of them. If you don’t know what to do right now, don’t commit yourself to something you’re not sure about. Punz, you’ve been free for 6 months. You have so much left to do and I know that you’ll get to the right college someday. But you’re allowed time to enjoy your freedom now. You don’t have anyone to apologize to, anyone to hide from, anyone or anything holding you back.”

Rapunzel stared at him a moment, absorbing. Then, after a long moment, she cracked a smile. It was a knowing smile that always made Jack a little uncomfortable.

"What? Why are you smiling at me like that?"

She chuckled and shook her head. “I just think it’s amazing how you can find people who always have the right words when you need them. Or maybe it’s not that they’re the right words, but that the right people are saying them.”

Jack shifted uncertainly, ironically at a loss for words. He searched for something clever and funny to say in response but nothing really came. Sarcasm wasn’t always effective in every situation. Lost in thought, he didn’t notice Rapunzel lean toward him and peck him on the cheek.

He looked up at her flustered and blushing and touching his cheek in utter embarrassment. “What was that for?”

"Oh, I don’t know. I seem to recall you doing something similar to me when you wanted to thank me so it only seemed appropriate."

He sensed a careful veiled sarcasm in her tone. “Well, I was very drunk. You shouldn’t take etiquette lessons from a drunk person.”

She laughed breathlessly, tucking a few stray strands of hair behind her ear. They didn’t seem to want to stay and instead drifted in front of her eyes again. “We don’t have to—” She began, looking away more from awkwardness than sadness.

He reached out, tucking the stray hair more securely behind her ear. “Yes, we do.”

"But if we talk about it I can’t say I had a one night stand."

"That term only qualifies if you had sex."

"Oh."

He laughed and scooted next to her, shoulder to shoulder. “I’m sorry for what I did. I shouldn’t have kissed you. I was in no condition to do much of anything.”

"I’m not disagreeing but I kissed you."

"I’m pretty sure I was the one that made the first move." 

"You kissed my cheek but I definitely kissed you."

"Okay, okay, mutual bad decisions all around."  He snorted, shaking his head.

She sighed, reaching over to twine her fingers with his. She’d done it a million times. It felt just as natural as ever. She still didn’t want to talk about it, to quantify it into something it wasn’t or, perhaps, was. Teetering on the edge of self discovery, it was easier to remain ignorant than to spend too much time dwelling. Perhaps she could take a page from Merida’s book, if only for a little while.

"It wasn’t so bad." She muttered, examining their hands, hers small and warm and his long and cool.

She looked up to see him staring at her with an unfathomable expression, perhaps something between happiness and fear.

And perhaps the road to hell was paved in bad decisions that felt like good ones. And perhaps the sun only rained down old moments packaged as new ones. And perhaps stupid choices were the only way to learn to make smart ones.

Or, at least, this is what Rapunzel told herself as she closed the small distance between them.


	38. Chapter 38

A month ago if you’d told Jack he’d have something of a life back he probably would have laughed in your face. 

Now, he didn’t know what he would do. 

Especially now with his back pressed against a door, small tanned hands gripping his waist, and a sunny brunette pressing her lips against his. Rapunzel was surprisingly forward and he couldn’t deny he found it endlessly amusing. It was like watching her lean over and kiss an unsuspecting Merida all over again. Except this time he was always the unsuspecting victim and no one was watching. It was hidden embraces under the stairwell and sneaked kisses in closets between classes and they never really talked about it with anyone else though everyone else seemed to know anyway. 

It was some unspoken rule that what was going on was just between them and they’d work it out for better or for worse on their own. 

He didn’t know if making out was qualified as working it out but he was never much for labels in the first place. 

She’d driven them home after school the day before spring break, back to the King house where she knew no one would be home. Mr. and Mrs. King were adamant about keeping date night the same and Rapunzel found it endlessly adorable. Graying and lined with years of regret, she’d still never seen two people more devoted to each other. It was a love she hoped to have one day, though certainly one she would be happy to wait for for quite some time. 

For now… Well, she was a teenager, after all. 

"You’re sure—" He muttered, her fists curling in the material of his sweatshirt. He didn’t get the rest of his sentence out. 

"Positive." She breathed, tugging him toward the bed which sat violet and perfectly made in the center of the room. Swirls of incandescent color sat in the corner of his vision, murals of fresh paint and memories. He was tempted to look at them, see if she’d finished weeks worth of laboring. But he was a bit distracted.  

Without really thinking about it he ended up on his back amidst a tumble of overlarge pillows and a couple of stuffed animals. Vaguely he could feel the judging eye of Pascal across the room surveying him from beyond a glass tank. Rationally he acknowledged that the whole thing was rather ridiculous but at the moment that didn’t seem to matter all that much. All that really mattered was the little brunette leaning over him, wisps of brown hair tickling his forehead. 

The last time Jack had made out this heavily with anyone else he was very drunk. In fact, most of his transgressions in the past three years had been intoxicated. He couldn’t really remember most of them. For a while he’d done it because he had nothing else to do. Not because he particularly liked it or anybody. But because he needed an identity and feeling things was easiest that way. This was different. It wasn’t the high school romance of fairy tales but he knew who he was and he knew he was different and she was different and this was something else entirely. It wasn’t a search for feeling. It wasn’t meaningless. 

But he still didn’t quite know what it was either. 

Between kisses they rolled so that Rapunzel lay beneath him. His hand was up to cradle her head, lips parting between a sigh and a moan and then he was taking off his sweatshirt because god it was really fucking hot and it was unfortunate only in that his shirt stuck to his sweatshirt and it was a second before either of them realized that both articles of clothing were gone and that they should feel embarrassed (and they were) but they kept going because that was what you did when the shirt came off and you were hovering over each other in bed. 

And the shirt and sweatshirt were forgotten and so were their shoes and for a while it was nothing but hands splayed against bare shoulders and fingernails slicing through the material of tights on tanned thighs and nothing but lips, lips, lips everywhere. 

And then Jack’s shoulders began to ache where he hovered over her, his muscles taut and shaking and Rapunzel’s back was beginning to hurt because oh god seriously there was a stuffed animal in the shape of a white horse stuffed under the small of her back and after a few moments of discomfort she could feel the uncertainty and embarrassment and total self-loathing creep up on her—was she any good at this? Were her breasts too small? Oh god, she forgot to shave! Did he even like the short hair? Did she like the short hair? She didn’t even have a condom! Where did you even buy condoms? Were they going that far? Did he want to go that far? Did she want to go that far? And how does one go about giving a proper blow job? Is there blow job etiquette? 

Rapunzel was about to have an inner panic attack when a noise from the window made both of them jump, sending Jack tumbling off the side of the bed with a nervous cry. He had his shirt in his hands in a heart beat and was untangling it from his sweatshirt. 

For a very brief and terrifying moment he’d imagined Mr. King coming through her bedroom door and Mr. King was not a small man. He didn’t like his odds. 

Instead of Mr. King, it was Merida who crawled through Rapunzel’s bedroom window looking not the slightest bit contrite. She had a knowing smirk on her lips as her eyes passed from a disheveled (though still fully clothed) Rapunzel to a half naked Jack. 

"Did I interrupt something?" 

"That’s a rhetorical question, right?" Rapunzel asked, blushing furiously though she was smiling nevertheless. 

"Obviously." 

"Did you need something?" Jack asked begrudgingly, pulling his shirt over his head. It was a little harder, however, to mask the slight bulge in his jeans. 

"Hiccup and I are going to dinner tomorrow, a nice little send off before we go to Scotland and Punz goes to Disney World for spring break, which, by the way, I still can’t fathom why you want to go to Disney World." 

"I’ve never been. It’s a life experience." She explained as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. 

"So Hic is going with you to Scotland?" Jack asked, sitting on the bed and pulling his sweatshirt over his head. 

"Yeah. Couldn’t well leave him here by himself. His Da isn’t talking to him. They’re in a wee bit of a standoff. Mum’s agreed to shack him up. I’d say I was surprised except that I’m pretty sure Mum thinks Hic is a saint and wouldn’t dare defile her daughter which, to be fair, is completely true." 

Rapunzel smiled. “It’ll be good for him to get away.” 

"So, you two comin’ or will you be shagging all the live long day, too busy for us mere mortals?" 

Rapunzel rolled her eyes and shook her head and Jack cast a seething look over the neck of his sweatshirt. “We’ll be there. You know, you could have called or texted us with this.” 

"Yes, but this was so much more fun." 

"You’re a little bit evil, you know that?" Jack snapped playfully at Merida. 

"Thank you, Jackson, for the heartfelt compliment." 

Rapunzel sighed, fanning herself. A light sheen of sweat sat on her neck. Jack could sympathize. He could do with a cold shower. “I’m gonna go get a bottle of water, would either of you like anything?” 

"I’m good." Merida replied. 

"I’ll take one." Jack finished as Rapunzel nodded and left the room, closing the door behind her. 

Before Jack could blink, Merida was on his, icy blue eyes staring him down as if to scare his soul from his chest. 

It was kind of working. 

"You need to get it together, Jack." 

"I’m sorry?" 

"What the hell do you think you’re doing?" 

"I don’t…" 

"Look, Jack, I love you both. And I firmly believe in my soul that Rapunzel is perfectly capable of taking care of herself but you? Not so much. I don’t know what’s going on between the two of you but you need to figure it out. She doesn’t. You do. Because Punz won’t say no. She wants to say yes, but she needs to pace herself. And so do you." 

"Whoa, Merida, I…" He started, but lost the words. She was absolutely right. And they were not, as she said, pacing themselves. Whatever it was they were doing, they weren’t doing it right. 

And for a brief terrifying moment Jack felt himself consumed with fear again. Because he’d somehow managed to build a great thing lately. He had friends that loved him, his sister was alive, he was doing well in school. He didn’t want to—no, he couldn’t, mess that up. 

"You two need to establish what you’re doing and you need to decide quickly. I can’t watch Rapunzel get hurt again." Merida paused, thinking a moment, the vision of Jack collapsing in the rain. "I can’t watch you get hurt again. I know what it’s like, doing things before you’re ready. And with the wrong people." She stopped, corrected herself. "Not that I think you and Punz are the wrong people. You know what I mean." 

"You didn’t come over here to ask us about dinner." 

"No. I told Hiccup to let you two work this out on your own, but I lied, obviously. He’s got enough to deal with without you idiots stinking up his problems with hormones." A moment passed to the sound of Rapunzel climbing the stairs in the hallway. "Can you? Work it out on your own?" 

Jack nodded. He wasn’t sure how—this was all new territory—but he knew they could. 

There wasn’t anything he wasn’t prepared to do to keep their little ragtag band of misfits together. 


	39. Chapter 39

Vacation with Merida was… unconventional to say the least.

Fergus Dunbroch owned a chain of amazingly successful hunting stores which apparently garnered the family a decent bit of wealth. Though it was rumored through the grapevine that most of their wealth was inherited: old bluebloods of Scottish royalty that had been blackmarked for one reason or another.

Therefore their flight across the Atlantic had been nothing short of extravagant. Even Elinor, tired and slightly radioactive, accompanied them on the trip and never ceased asking Hiccup if he needed anything. Hiccup tried to afford her some comforts but the woman was better at taking care of others than taking care of herself. Needless to say, it was nothing short of overpriced chaos. Sure, the Haddock family was wealthy enough, making trips to Europe every couple of years, but the Dunbroch family was royalty. In comparison, he and his father had lived rather modestly the past 18 years.

Their flights were first class and came with a full selection of movies that Hiccup thought hadn’t come out yet. The flight attendants were constantly asking if he wanted or needed anything and while Hiccup thought he should take advantage of this opportunity he was always at a loss for what to say. Of course, Merida had no trouble ordering three course meals for their in-flight dinner so he left most of the talking to her.

Their first few days in Scotland were a whirlwind that Hiccup could hardly remember. Burdened with jetlag, he spent the first full day collapsed in bed. The next three days were spent in the company of Merida’s extended family: the Macintoshs, the Macguffins, the Dingwalls. It was mostly a parade of insanity and both Hiccup and Merida got fairly drunk (legally this time) just to make interactions with the family bearable. Though the boys and Fergus seemed to be having a good time. It was the first time, Merida admitted, in three months that they’d smiled like that.

The five legal kids even went out to a rave one night where Hiccup quickly made friends with a group of Scandinavians who were very friendly and offered him a brownie that tasted like ass. Naturally he spent the rest of the night baked out of his mind, claiming that the flashing lights were the unholy offspring of lightning and death and that soon the whole club would be up in flames. Merida had taken him home where he’d spent an hour doodling a large tattoo of a dragon on Merida’s shoulder with a ballpoint pen. He’d later woken to discover that what he thought was a dragon was, in fact, a bunch of large scribbles. Naturally he swore off brownies for the duration of the trip.

Due for surgery in a few weeks, Merida spent a lot of time with her mother, leaving Hiccup to roam the countryside on his own. Hiccup didn’t mind too much and considering that he wasn’t supposed to be on the trip anyway, he figured he owed it to them both to give them time alone. He envied Merida’s new rapport with Elinor. They used to yell and snap at each other. Now Merida teased instead of complained. She’d become much more considerate and Elinor had allowed her more freedom. It was unsteady but in each uncertain remark, Hiccup sensed how much the two women cared for each other.

It made Hiccup a little jealous.

It was consumed in these thoughts that Merida found him, sitting on a cliff overlooking the roaring cascade of a waterfall. Hills stretched out for miles, though just beyond the fog was almost certainly the lights of a city or town.

"So this is where you’ve been hiding." Merida said, settling next to him. Hiccup could have imagined it, but he thought her accent had gotten a little stronger since their plane had touched down.

"Not hiding. Just thinking. I like exploring your family’s property. It’s beautiful out here."

"It’s a lot of gray if you ask me."

"You love it."

She laughed. “Yeah, I do.” She paused, brushing back tendrils of flying hair from her face. They were damp from the spray from the waterfall. “They used to call this the fire falls because of the way the setting sun lit up the water like flame. Before they built stairs into the cliff, it was said to be a mark of true bravery to climb up and drink from the falls.” She held her hand out to the spray.

"So did you?" He asked, already knowing the answer but asking anyway.

"Of course. Climbed it at sixteen. Mum nearly flayed me alive."

"Typical. Wish I had the guts to do something like that." He muttered, wiping a sheen of water off his forehead. Tiny droplets spattered his eyes, but he didn’t mind. It was refreshing, like the water of the falls was washing away his worries.

"You do, Hic. You just gotta find your cliff." She bumped his shoulder with hers. "What are you gonna do when we get back? I mean, you can stay at the house as long as you need but you’ve got to deal with your Da sometime. School’s gonna be out soon. And we’ll have to go… Live new lives all over again. So what’s it gonna be?" She sounded pained when she said it, like with each word a weight was set on her slim shoulders. Hiccup could sympathize. It was almost cruel that the four of them had found each other so late in the game. That they didn’t have four years’ worth of memories ahead of them. Now they only had weeks. It was the closest friendship Hiccup had ever known and soon they’d be running in different directions, right back where they started.

"I’ll tell you when I know. Right now… I just want to make things count. I mean, I’ve spent my whole life waiting to reach some certain point. Waiting for independence or acceptance or freedom or recognition or whatever. I don’t actually even know anymore. That’s what’s so crazy, Mer. I don’t even remember what it was I spent years agonizing over. I don’t know. I guess I’ve just realized that you and Jack and Punz made me realize that I can’t wait for the perfect moment for anything. Cus that doesn’t exist. The only thing that really exists is the now."

Merida watched him for a moment, blue eyes steady as he gazed out over the Scottish landscape. “You’re getting all deep on me. That can’t be a good sign.”

"I could insult you a little bit if that would make you more comfortable." Hiccup offered with a smirk.

"Ah, yes, that’s the sarcasm I know and love." Merida grinned, satisfied, before following his gaze out across the countryside. "Oh and Hic?"

"Yeah."

"I’ve been meaning to ask you. Since Jack and Punz appear to be a thing that’s happening and since I don’t fancy going without them, I thought we could all go to prom together. As a group. And you would be my date. Or I’d b your date. We’d be each other’s date. I’m trying to be politically correct here." She grinned a cheeky smile, a spark of the triplets’ mischief in her bright blue eyes. "I mean, I wanted to ask Punz but I guess I waited too long. I hope you don’t mind that you were my second choice."

Hiccup barked a laugh. “As long as you don’t mind my saying that you were my third, after Jack and Rapunzel.”

"Jack was your first?"

"He looks very sporting in a tuxedo."

She giggled and threw her arm around his shoulder. “Granted.”


	40. Chapter 40

Merida had always hated dress shopping but somehow Rapunzel made it entertaining. 

Merida often thought she couldn’t help smiling when she was around the little brunette. It was something about Rapunzel that was infectious. She shone brightly like the sun, blinding and beautiful and utterly life-giving. So despite the fact that Merida hated dress shopping, had always hated the way dresses never quite fit right over her voluptuous hips and how strange her arms tended to look in halters or any number of other things that bothered her about her body, she was having fun. 

They’d been shopping for a few hours, catching up on the events of spring break and snacking as they went along. Rapunzel had brought cookies because, as Merida had previously told her, they’d be shopping all day. The perfect prom dress was hard to find; it was another experience that Rapunzel deserved to have before high school ended. The closest thing she’d probably experience thereafter was probably shopping for a wedding dress. 

Though Merida suspected Rapunzel would probably make her own wedding dress someday.

They’d stopped for lunch and binged on fast food that would undoubtedly give them heartburn later but it tasted delicious going down and that’s what mattered. And then they’d spent the afternoon slipping in and out of dressing rooms, stripping to their skivvies, and trying on any range of prom dresses. Some of them were lovely while others they tried on purely for kicks and giggles. They tried on matching dresses to see who wore it better. Incidentally it looked horrible on both of them and they proceeded to take chin pics on Merida’s phone. 

Naturally they sent the pictures to the boys for good measure, just so they knew what it was they were getting into for their prom night. 

Hiccup merely texted them back saying he hoped they didn’t expect them to match their tuxes to such terrible dresses. Obviously if Mer and Punz were going down, Jack and Hic were going with them. 

"He seems to think he should have some say in the matter." Merida muttered, laughing, bowing over her phone in the dressing room as Rapunzel pulled a dress off it’s hangar and began hoisting it over her hips. 

"Doesn’t he?" Rapunzel asked idly, pulling the dress up over bra and underwear, fiddling with the zipper in the back that she couldn’t quite reach. 

"Sure he does. I just probably won’t listen to it." She laughed and stood up, abandoning the phone to help Rapunzel zip up the gown. It was a beaded gown in lavender that cinched at the waist and hugged the rest of Rapunzel’s curves in all the right places. The back opened up to her warm skin with capped sleeves to keep it all in place. "Punz, honestly." Merida let out a little gasp when Rapunzel turned around, her small hands playing with the cascading material of the dress. 

"What? Does it fit weird?" She asked, her face turning red. She looked a little nervous. Perhaps more nervous than she’d been four months before when they’d been getting ready in a similar way, dressed to the nines and glimmering. But Rapunzel had been a different person then, Merida realized. The brunette played with the stubs of hair on her neck, a gesture she’d developed since it had been cut. 

It occurred to Merida that Rapunzel had always felt safe in her long hair; it had been a security blanket. Now that it was gone, the girl was left naked and exposed, every little worry showing on her expressive face. 

"You look beautiful, Punz. It’s… it’s so… You. Even with," she paused, reaching up to brush a hand through Rapunzel’s hair, "and especially because of your new do." 

"Really?" She brightened, her fingers toying with the chiffon of the dress. 

"Take a look!" Merida prompted, pushing her friend into the sight line of the mirror. The girl stepped into the center and took herself in. She looked suspended for a moment, as if she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. And then she looked at Merida and leapt into the air screaming. 

"IT’S SO PERFECT." She squealed, launching an all-consuming hug at Merida. The redhead laughed, and shook her head. 

"I think you’ve found the one. And I’m certain Jack will look bloody dashing in lavender." 

"You think?" Rapunzel broke away, swishing and admiring herself excitedly in the mirror. It was a luxury the brunette didn’t often afford herself and Merida didn’t have the heart to pull her away. 

"I don’t think. I know." Merida replied, picking up her phone and pocketing it. Her own pile of rejected gowns sat on the floor in a heap. She kicked at them idly, dissatisfied. "Speaking of which, have you two figured out your bloody mess yet?" 

Rapunzel paused in her merriment, her hands splaying across her stomach where her fingers brushed against beading. “Our mess? I wouldn’t call it a mess.” 

"Whatever you want to call it. What is going on between you two?" 

Rapunzel whirled and sat on one of the changing benches, her head plopping on her hand. “I don’t know. I like Jack, but I’ve never done THIS before. Obviously. We talked about it. It took a while.” 

"I bet."

Rapunzel smiled and blushed. She wasn’t about to deny that the ratio of talking to other things had been rather large. “In the end, we decided to hold off on doing things again until we figured out if being in a relationship is what we wanted. From each other. You know?” 

Merida made a noncommittal noise. 

"I just don’t know. It’s a lot. I mean, it was kind of stupid, what we did in the first place."

"You’re allowed to be stupid, Punz. You’re a teenager. It’s kind of part of your job description." 

"But I don’t want to mess up our friendship. It’s so important." She sighed and Merida sensed just a hint of tears in her voice, as if she was desperately trying to hold them back. 

"You’re not going to mess it up, Punz. This is you and Jack we’re talking about. Like you’d let such a friendship collapse. I seem to recall when three of us thought we couldn’t be friends but you came along and wouldn’t let it go. And somehow we discovered how right you were." 

She saw Rapunzel smile, the redness leaving her cheeks. She took a deep breath and looked up at Merida thoughtfully. “When did you get so smart?” 

"I’ve had a lot of great teachers." 


	41. Chapter 41

Things had been strange lately. 

They were changing without Rapunzel’s knowledge and before she knew it she was staring down the barrel of her future. When the King’s had asked her what school she ended up choosing, she’d told them she was taking a gap year and that she very much wanted to travel the world. When they’d responded with total joy, she’d been more than a little surprised. She’d never asked for something and gotten exactly what she wanted. Not like that. It was going slowly, but Rapunzel was starting to feel as if the King’s were her family. They were like her friends. She could trust them and know that they cared about her. There were no lies and no fear. They would not keep her from doing or being anything. 

And that was wonderful. 

She felt a sort of freedom she’d never experienced. Beyond anything she’d known in the past year, it was a contentment that left her breathless. She didn’t know what to do with it. Before the cataclysm she’d known exactly what she wanted to do and who with and where. Now the world stretched before her, an open road, all she had to do was go. 

And so she did. 

She felt very much like Merida the night of their senior prom—her first and only prom. She’d started the evening with a shot of whiskey because it seemed daring and the burn told her it was. The four of them had gathered at her house to get ready, a new habit because Merida’s house was still in flux from Elinor’s cancer treatments (which were going quite well), Hiccup wasn’t on good terms with his dad, and Jack’s place was too small to accommodate the four of them. Rapunzel had sung as she did Merida’s hair while the boys dressed in her bathroom. She was in uncannily good spirits, which was certainly saying something. 

"You finished it." Merida commented contentedly where she sat in front of Rapunzel’s mirror. Rapunzel was busy humming and it took her a moment to realize what it was that she was talking about. She followed the ginger’s eyes to the mural that sat fresh on one wall, the colors bright and swirling and unequivocally beautiful. 

The mural was of the four of them, laying twined together in a circle, holding hands and looking out at Merida and Rapunzel as if they were looking up at the sky. Stars and sunlight, snowflakes and fire contained them in an impenetrable bubble. Most striking was their smiles, so rarely seen in everyday life. It was, perhaps, the four at their most beautiful. Together. Whole. 

Rapunzel paused, taking in the finished painting with a nostalgic smile. “I did.” 

"It looks like that first night. The night we met." Merida commented quietly, a delicate calloused hand toying with an idle curl. 

"You think?" Rapunzel replied skeptically, turning her head. Perhaps it was the liquor, but Rapunzel could see what she meant. 

"It’s the night everything changed. That’s what it reminds me of." Merida spoke softly, looking at herself in the mirror. The girl from that night in the basement—she didn’t look anything like the girl sitting before her. Merida felt certain of the girl in front of her. That girl so long ago had been so full of self doubt and yet she concealed it so well beneath layers of hubris. 

The new Merida knew better. 

"Your hair’s all done." Rapunzel said after a minute, toying with the wild red strands. Merida raised an eyebrow. 

"You barely did anything to it." 

"Exactly. You don’t need extra sprucing tonight. You’re gonna look amazing either way." Rapunzel said, grinning. She held up the dress they’d found for Merida in the mirror. It was a dark green, long sleeved and glittering with sequins. She’d thought it was much too flashy when she’d seen it on the hangar but on her it had been simple and lovely and it had just felt right. It covered her collarbone down but it fit snugly and flared out in all the right places. Like Rapunzel’s it had been a miracle dress. 

The girls were changed and ready by the time the boys returned from the bathroom in tuxedos. 

"Were you two bumping uglies in there? You were gone an awfully long time." Merida commented when the boys stepped in. 

Hiccup sighed and rolled his eyes. “Hardly. We were arguing over who was going to play DD for the night.” 

"Dungeons and dragons?" Rapunzel asked curiously as she glanced up at them from applying mascara in the mirror. 

"Designated driver." Jack replied with a laugh. 

"Oh." 

"Who won?" Merida from the bed. She had a black leather jacket pulled over her dress. 

Jack grinned, victorious. “I did. Naturally.” 

"So, yes, I will be the boring sober one for the evening." Hiccup sighed, raising a defeated hand. "Though I can’t be too upset. After what happened over spring break I think I don’t want to take too many chances." 

"Probably smart. Besides, you’re probably most equipped to record our excellent escapades for posterity." Merida pulled a digital camera from her bag and tossed it over her shoulder. She was mildly surprised when Hiccup caught it with precision. 

Jack glanced between the two girls. “Are you guys ready to go?” 

"Yes!" Rapunzel replied excitedly, standing from her mirror and smoothing out her dress. "But first, pictures! Mer, take off your jacket. I told you I want to get pictures before we go." 

"But the best ones we take while we’re there. Candid ones are genuine." Merida complained loudly, pouting thin red lips. 

"We’re embracing the cliches. Remember, this is the first and last time I’ll get to do this. So we’re gonna act like tourists at the Tower of Pisa and we’re going to take these pictures. Sound good?" 

Rapunzel’s tone was so serious that no one seemed to think it was a good idea arguing. She disappeared to retrieve the King’s for their impromptu photoshoot assuring everyone that the shot of whiskey was not impairing her judgement but rather it was the high of the evening that made her so genuinely perky. If she was being honest with herself, though, it was a little bit of both. 

When the King’s arrived, they set up their shots in front of Rapunzel’s mural. Mr. and Mrs. King couldn’t seem to get over how wonderful they all looked. In fact, Mrs. King was in tears and quickly lavished on both Rapunzel and Merida, her daughter and surrogate daughter, lots of kisses and assurances that they were the most beautiful girls she’d ever seen. 

When Rapunzel denied such assumptions, HIccup groaned and shook his head saying that they were delusional to think otherwise. That brought a surprised blush to both girls. 

They took traditional photos (many backups, Mr. and Mrs. King assured) with the four of them crowded together, arms around shoulders and waists. They took couples photos, pairing up several times awkwardly and hilariously, leaving all six of them in stitches. There were some choice photos of Jack hugging Hiccup from behind that Merida swore she would have framed on her wall someday. They took serious photos and then there were the ones when Merida planted a kiss on Rapunzel’s cheek and Jack pulled Hiccup into a headlock and ones where Rapunzel leapt into a surprised Jack’s arms and one where Merida mounted Hiccup in a piggyback ride screaming war cries. Funny faces and happy faces and ugly faces and any face they could conjure. 

They were drunk on laughter before they’d even begun. 

When they were satisfied with the pictures they took, the King’s left them, telling them to be careful tonight and to have fun. Merida was pulled on her jacket, Rapunzel a wrap, and Hiccup his coat when Jack spoke, his eyes trained on the mural on the wall. 

He seemed unable to look away, his blue eyes overcome. “It’s beautiful, Rapunzel.” His words were so quiet and so sincere, they were almost sure he hadn’t spoken. 

Rapunzel moved across the room and threaded her arm through his, looking up with him. “It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” Jack finished as her head settled against his arm thoughtfully. 

Merida appeared at his side, their fingers unconsciously twining together. It wouldn’t be until later that he remembered they’d held hands at all. “We’re beautiful.” She said as Hiccup sidled next to her, arm slipping over her shoulder. 

They all knew what she meant. Their friendship was the most beautiful thing they’d ever beheld. Rapunzel knew that no matter where she went in this wide world she would never find something quite as beautiful as what the four of them had. She didn’t know how she’d been so lucky. 

And she wondered when it was her luck would run out. 


	42. Chapter 42

This was the last big hurrah the four of them figured they would ever have so they went out with a bang. 

After they left the King house, the ride to the school had been a torrid one. Merida had suggested they stop at taco bell and get dinner because nothing was classier than taco bell before prom. Rapunzel had said that taco bell was more for after prom activities but had caved quickly when Merida offered to pay for their dinner. 

So the four of them had walked into Taco Bell, ordered several dozen Doritos Locos Tacos and sat eating for almost an hour laughing as they tried very hard not to get any food on their nice clothes. They succeeded when Rapunzel and Hiccup conspired to construct elaborate bibs out of an entire container of napkins. It was something between a fashion statement and an engineering marvel. 

They didn’t stress too much about getting to the dance on time. No one showed up early for prom anyway. After all, the big four had to make an entrance. 

Of course, Jack had already rigged their entrance several hours ahead of time. He’d paid several very discreet and impressionable freshman to wait outside the gym for their arrival. And when he gave the signal… Well, no one was like to forget their entrance. 

By the time they’d finished their meal and gotten back in the car, Jack had pulled out a flask. Little did he know, Merida had brought one as well. From the back seat, they pulled it out simultaneously, offering it to the other and breaking down in laughter when they realized that yes, great minds do think alike. 

"Anybody need a little liquid courage?" Merida proffered, choking down giggles. 

Rapunzel glanced back from the front seat of Angus, taking in their shaking forms. “Who needs liquid courage when you’ve got corn chip courage.” She stated matter-of-factly before taking a very deliberate bite of a leftover taco. 

Merida started crying. 

When Hiccup parked them in the school parking lot, hissing to abandon the flasks, Jack sent out his batsignal and exited the mustang with a mischievous smile on his face. 

Merida caught the smile, glaring at him suspiciously. “What have you done?” 

"Done? Why would you think I’ve done anything?" He replied innocently. 

"Because I know you, Frost." She said as she fell in beside Hiccup. 

"Just trust me. And you might want to stand on the other side of Hiccup." 

"Why?" 

"It’ll look better. Just go with it." He assured her, maneuvering Rapunzel between them. The little brunette sent a questioning look his way but couldn’t seem to hide the smile that said she knew he was up to something but wasn’t going to argue. He liked that about her. 

As they approached the school doors where music trickled out in steady rhythm and people milled about discreetly smoking cigarettes in the dim lamplight, something seemed to go very wrong inside. The colored light streaming through the open doors went pitch black. Muffled screams echoed through the night air as hundreds of teenagers realized that they no longer could tell whose ass was grinding whose. 

Rapunzel, Merida, and Hiccup stopped dead in their tracks and shot looks at Jack. 

"Just keep walking." He said, barely containing his smile. 

So they walked, casting nervous glances at their overconfident friend. 

When they reached the doors the music started again, only this time it was something more akin to a movie soundtrack than the Cha Cha Slide. And then the lights came back, each and every one of them directed at the entering four, the music carefully timed to their footfalls. 

A sly grin crept up Merida’s face and before she knew it she was laughing, her fingers reaching out to catch Rapunzel’s as if the little brunette might hold her up. 

All eyes were on the four of them, many glaring, but they didn’t seem to care and they burst out laughing, spotlighted in the entrance of the dance and clearly disturbing the peace. Then, over the loud speaker: “LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. YOUR PROM QUEEN.” 

Rapunzel whipped around, eyes wide, trying to find the voice. Instead they found Jack who was covering his mouth with his hand and looking very much like he didn’t want her to see his grin. “I won prom queen?” She asked bewildered, eyes wide like a cornered woodland animal. 

"Of course, you did, you dolt. Pretty sure everyone loves you, even though you do hang out with a troublemaker." Jack replied, gesturing her into the decorative gymnasium where the lights were returning to normal and the music had slowed to a ballad—the traditional king and queen dance. 

"I have to…" She started. 

"Go dance!" Merida ordered, pushing the brunette towards an open dance floor where the Prom King waited. Eric looked quite dashing, black hair and an amiable smile under a shining golden crown. Even Ariel waved at her from the crowd. While everyone had seemed rather annoyed moments before, they were all smiling at Rapunzel now. 

For some time she’d felt rather alienated from the school. She’d been afraid they might think less of her, after what happened with Gothel. 

Clearly that wasn’t true. 

Eric crowned her, a glittering plastic thing that was only slightly nicer than the first one she’d received at homecoming. They’d danced for a moment before Jack cut in and Eric retreated to dance with Ariel. 

"I can’t believe they picked me. Again. I didn’t think they would." Rapunzel muttered quietly as she and Jack finished out the song. It was an old 80s ballad that she didn’t recognize though she vaguely thought she’d heard it in a John Hughes movie. 

"Rapunzel, you are the most friendly person I’ve ever met. You’re kind to everyone. And they know what you’ve been through. And what’s so amazing is that you’ve been through all that and you’re still the nicest person ever. I don’t want to say you deserve it, because there are others who are just as deserving, but you’ve made everyone at this school feel appreciated without ever really trying. And they appreciate that." Jack said all this as if it was the most obvious thing the world. There were many things Rapunzel had a tendency to miss. She had never imagined this would be one of them. 

"Oh." 

"Don’t look so shocked. People might start to doubt your queenly power. I created a grand entrance befitting a queen it’s time you started getting a little bratty and acting like one." Jack snickered and Rapunzel rolled her eyes and poked his chest with a finger. 

"You’re insufferable." 

"It’s part of my charm." 

When the song changed their friends joined them on the dance floor with punch and party favors in the form of champagne glasses. Jack noted how ridiculous it was they weren’t legally allowed to drink but were given champagne glasses as prom keepsakes. They all agreed that it just meant they’d have to use them later on in the night. 

The girls didn’t have to do much convincing to get the boys to dance this time. On the contrary, Jack figured when in rome do as the twerkers do. While grinding certainly wasn’t his specialty, he did get into a rather heated dance battle with East. His acrobatics were pretty decent though he couldn’t deny that East (who was a well trained martial artist) swept the floor with him. 

Rapunzel danced with most anyone who asked, though Frollo did try to make a move and Hiccup promptly stepped in. He’d grown a couple inches since the start of the school year and now had a decent eye over the girls. He was on level with Jack by now. Jack wasn’t sure when it happened or why he hadn’t noticed it but he had to figure it had something to do with the tuxedo. It made the brunette boy look older and a little bit like James Bond. 

Jack danced a little with Merida, Rapunzel with Hiccup, though they mostly stood there talking and laughing and making occasional jokes about the decorations. The theme was “fairytale” and the room had been decorated with wooden backdrops of towers and castles and mythical creatures. There was a particularly interesting cutout of a malformed ogre that looked just out of place. 

However, their merriment was short-lived before trouble arose. A teacher came storming across the dance floor toting one of Jack’s freshman for hire by the ear and shouting Jack’s name. 

"That’s not good." Jack cursed quietly as he danced with Rapunzel. He ducked behind Hiccup, peeking over his shoulder. "I should make like a rabbit and disappear." 

"That’s a really contrived, joke, buddy." Hiccup replied, glancing over his shoulder at his white-haired friend. 

"Is now really the time to discuss my joke choices?" 

"I don’t know, you tell me." Hiccup snorted. The teacher was arguing with several students who were trying to makeout on the dance floor. Finally they got annoyed and pointed him in their direction. The teacher swiveled and his gaze fell on the four of them. 

Nottingham. 

"Okay, yeah, not good." Hiccup agreed. 

"What do we do?" Rapunzel prompted nervously as Nottingham approached. 

"Run!" Jack replied, taking off towards the nearest wooden castle. It looked more like a jungle gym than a castle, but it had turrets so it was rather passable. 

The four took off after him, not really sure what else to do. The yells of Nottingham followed them faintly through the crowd, though they were slightly drowned by the pound of the music. 

Before they could blink, Jack was mounting the wooden castle. He scaled the side without much trouble and was standing at the top of it when Nottingham reached them, his face a delicate shade of purple. 

"Get down from there, Frost! Do you have any idea what kind of trouble you’re in?" 

"I dunno sir. Is it hi-jinx? Shenanigans? Tomfoolery? And can you really put a label on art?" Jack called down as the other three looked on from below. 

"Were you three a part of this?" Nottingham turned on them instead. Hiccup’s eyes went wide while Rapunzel scurried behind him. Merida merely glared, hands on hips. 

Sensing an error in judgement, Jack whooped for Nottingham’s attention and proceeded to leap from one turret to the next. Nottingham yelled after him but Jack had already made a crazy decision. Another wooden castle sat about six feet from the one he stood atop. If he jumped he might just land on his feet. 

So he did. And he did. 

"Jack!" Rapunzel called out in terror until he landed with a loud thump. He collapsed on the turret, invisible for a moment. Even Nottingham froze, worried that the wild teenager had somehow hurt himself. 

But then the trickster popped up with a grin. “That turned out better than I thought!” And then Merida was laughing and Hiccup and Rapunzel and even the freshman who had somehow freed himself from Nottingham’s grip. 

"Are you crazy???" Nottingham screamed. 

Jack shrugged. “Maybe a little bit. Hey! I’ll meet you guys at the car.” He grinned before hopping to another turret. 

It was just enough cover for the three of them to take off towards the doors without Nottingham in pursuit. The teacher was too busy chasing after Jack to bother with Merida, Hiccup, and Rapunzel. 

They piled haphazardly into Merida’s mustang. “Dance was getting kind of boring anyway. The world is our oyster.” Merida laughed from the front seat. Rapunzel leaned up between her and Hiccup from the back seat. 

"Where’s Jack?" 

Their answer came in the form of a sprinting tuxedo’d teenager making a harried beeline across the asphalt. In hot pursuit was Nottingham who had turned several shades of purple that they suspected were new colors to the visible spectrum of light. 

"START THE FUCKING CAR." Jack screamed as he nearly barreled into Merida’s windshield. 


	43. Chapter 43

They escaped the school unscathed and before Hiccup knew it they had melted into the night. 

Their next destination was none other than Jasmine’s mansion on the outskirts of town. It was going to be the biggest party of the year and everyone was invited. No one would miss it. 

Especially not Hiccup, Jack, Merida, and Rapunzel. They had history to revisit. 

When they arrived the party was just getting started. Many of the partygoers hadn’t even bothered going to the prom itself—after all, the afterparties were the best part. It was BYOB so the four of them carried in their own entertainment, though no one really had a problem sharing so long as you brought something to contribute. 

This, apparently, was one of Merida’s most comfortable habitats. Even Jack was more at ease among the partygoers than either Hiccup or Rapunzel, even with Rapunzel’s knack for people pleasing. Slightly tipsy, the little brunette was a little more timid in this setting, though she grew more comfortable as the night dragged on. Hiccup, however, had never quite gotten the hang of parties. Small gatherings had always made so much more sense to him. 

Dancing had been Merida’s first priority. Hiccup had obliged for the first couple songs (songs not officially approved for the prom, obviously), but had slipped into wallflower mode very quickly. He was content to watch his friends for a little while, observe their smiles and laughter. 

Rapunzel appeared next to him after perhaps half an hour, nursing a red solo cup and a dreamy smile. Jack and Merida were still dancing, close in the dim lighting. Occasionally Hiccup caught Jack making a sarcastic comment and Merida hitting him for it, though he couldn’t quite hear what they were saying over the music. 

"It’s gonna be weird." Rapunzel muttered, slipping her arm through his elbow. She swayed a little, her face flushed. 

"What?" He asked. 

"Going separate ways." She muttered, her cheek pressed against his arm. 

There was a time when Hiccup would have found such little gestures annoying coming from Rapunzel. She’d been so perfect so effortlessly. Charmed. But now he knew better. Rapunzel was no different from him. In fact, they were terribly alike, he thought. He’d learned a lot from her and she from him. She’d changed his life and he doubted she’d ever truly realize it. 

"Yeah, but we won’t be apart. Not forever. Not really." He replied confidently, watching Merida and Jack dance. 

"How can you be so sure?" 

He looked down at her, a little surprised. There was genuine fear in those green eyes. In some ways Rapunzel had been weakened by her encounter with Gothel. But perhaps, he thought, she needed everything that had happened. She didn’t deserve it, but without it she’d never be able to grow. She could grow. She would grow. Of that, Hiccup was absolutely positive. 

"Because of you." 

She looked surprised by his response which made him smile. “Do you remember who it was that wouldn’t give up on us after we first met?” A beat, utter confusion. “It was you, Punz. We were so set in who we were, thought we knew what groups we fit into. We were wrong of course. You knew we belonged together. And you, as always, were right.” 

Rapunzel stared up at him a moment, clarity passing across her eyes. And then she huffed and looked out at the dance floor. “You are the smartest person I’ve ever known. But you’re totally wrong.” 

"What?"

"I mean, what you said might be true about the very beginning but not now. You’re what keeps us together, Hic. You’re the one that brought me back when I was afraid. You kept Merida and Jack together while I was gone. And you protect us. You’re the solid one. You’re the one we can always depend on. After everything is said and done, you would do anything for your friends. Even if it meant turning back on everything you once knew. Even if it meant turning back on your family." She looked up at him again, green eyes piercing through him. 

That was something about Rapunzel. She was terribly honest. And that’s how he knew that everything she said she believed wholeheartedly. Her words turned his insides to jelly and brought goosebumps to his skin. Would he do all that for his friends? 

Yes. Yes he would. Her words scared him, but he knew they were true. He’d spent his entire life trying to be accepted by people who wouldn’t. He couldn’t ever turn his back on the people that finally did accept him without precedence or strings. 

She smiled at him and stood up on her tiptoes to peck him on the cheek. Then her eyes slid back out to the dance floor and grew glazed with alcohol and happiness. He couldn’t help the smile that came to his lips. He pulled his arm free from her grasp, slipped it over her shoulder and planted a kiss on top of her head. He doubted she even felt it, but it felt like a subtle thank you. Words he couldn’t bring himself to say to Rapunzel. But he meant them all the same. 

After a few more songs, the four of them drifted from the dance floor and found themselves unwittingly recruited into a game of spin the bottle. Hiccup would have escaped if it had not been for a challenge issued by East towards Merida. And naturally Merida could not turn down such a challenge. So the three of them went down with her, whether they wanted to or not. 

Every man in the circle (and a portion of the women) was itching for the bottle to land on Rapunzel. Unfortunately for them, she seemed to be an anathema to the bottle, which suited Hiccup just fine. She was drunk and giggly and in no fit state to be kissing any of them. Instead she slumped against Jack’s side, her head on his shoulder as the game went on and on. 

On Hiccup’s turn, he was surprised when the bottle landed on Merida who blushed and rolled her eyes. Neither of them seemed to want to move at first until finally Merida declared ridiculousness and leaned over to plant a secure kiss on his lips. It lasted a satisfactory amount of time before she sat back and laughed, announcing that he wasn’t as bad of a kisser as she’d thought. 

When the bottle came to Jack, it landed on Rapunzel who wore a contented smile where she sat sleepily next to him. Instead of disturbing her stupor, the silver haired boy kissed the top of her head and no one seemed to argue. 

Shortly after, the four of them abandoned the game and descended the house to the basement. They disappeared into the garage where everything was empty. This time they made sure the door wouldn’t lock them in. 

And then they laid against the concrete, heads together in a circle and they talked. 

For a few hours they laid there recounting quietly the events of the past year. Favorite moments. Little secrets they all now knew all too well. The party continued to rage above them, but they were in their own bubble and that’s where they were happiest. They held hands and talked about the future and the things they would do, both together and apart. How Merida would begin training for the Olympics. How Jack was enrolling in childcare courses. How Rapunzel was going to Spain in the fall. 

Hiccup however didn’t have an answer for his future just yet. All he truly knew was that his friends were a part of it. And he’d never let them forget it. 

As the night grew shorter and shorter, they finally resolved it was time to head back to the King house. They didn’t have a curfew but they figured it was better they got back and slept off any hangover before the King’s woke up. 

So at half past two they left Jasmine’s party in it’s waning glory and Hiccup drove them home. 

Rapunzel sat up front with him, half between laughter and dozing, occasionally glancing back at Merida and Jack who were having an argument about who was the better athlete between the two of them. They got into a flicking fight which turned into a tickle fight which escalated to a very poor attempt at a wrestling match. Jack had Merida in a headlock and Merida had her fingers clamped around Jack’s ear when Hiccup pulled up to a stoplight. 

He glanced back at them, giving him a look that he could only imagine a parent might give to squabbling children. “Do not make me turn this car around.” 

"Yes Dad." Jack replied, laughing and releasing Merida. 

"I’m still better." Merida replied, flicking Jack in the forehead one last time for good measure. 

"Yeah, whatever you say princess." 

The light changed green. Hiccup slowly hit the gas. The mustang drifted through the intersection. 

"You’re both excellent athletes." Rapunzel muttered, not without amusement. Ever the pacifier, Hiccup thought. 

Then the world turned white. Light filled the windshield. Vaguely, Hiccup saw Rapunzel’s expression change as she gazed past him through the driver’s side window. Her mouth opened for a scream, but there wasn’t time to hear it. 

The light got brighter and brighter, filled with the sound of breaks screeching. Hiccup could hear nothing else. It was as if time slowed before him. His head turning. The spike of adrenaline and total paralyzing shock. 

Screams. The crunch of metal. And then: 

Darkness. 


	44. Chapter 44

Merida wasn’t sure where she was. 

Her ears were ringing, screaming with bells and whistles and metal against metal. She could taste it on her tongue, salty and tangy and raw. The world had turned dark, peppered with red and green and yellow pinpoints of light in the distance. It blurred together, distorting like the water, making waves, waves, waves, endless echoing waves. 

Then, with a surprising POP, the world came back into focus. The ringing in her ears stilled and so did her vision, focusing on the flashing traffic lamp burning green then yellow then red. The silence was somehow more deafening than the ringing. Faintly she could smell smoke and burned rubber. And the tangy taste in her mouth—blood from a cut on her lip. 

She lifted her head, the world turning a little, from the window to take in her surroundings. 

Jack sat blinking incoherently next to her, his blue eyes gazing unseeingly through a shattered windshield. Rapunzel’s head lolled over the console, blood dripping from her forehead down her cheek. Merida couldn’t see the full extent of the damage, but it wasn’t good. Hiccup was slumped over the wheel, his face hidden. 

Merida’s gaze shifted. The driver’s side was crippled, shattered glass glittering across Hiccup’s shoulders and Jack’s lap. The mustang bowed in at all sorts of awkward angles. Deflated airbags hung from the dashboard. Twisted metal arced over where the window should be and smoke curled up through the shattered windshield. 

The adrenaline finally kicked in and Merida felt a thrill of terror run up her spine. She shook Jack by the shoulder, pulling him out of his reverie. “Jack! Jack! Snap out of it! We’ve got to get out of the car.” 

He looked up at her, recognition finally rippling through him. “Right. Right.” He unbuckled his seat belt clumsily and reached up to touch Rapunzel. He lifted her head gently, looking down at her face. 

"Rapunzel. Rapunzel, wake up. Punz, you gotta wake up." He said, thumbs brushing away blood from her cheeks. There was a long gash along her forehead and blood was bubbling from it slowly, running down her petite face and staining her dress. 

"She might have a concussion." Merida muttered, unbuckling her seat belt and peering over the seat at her friend. 

"Punz. Come on, Punz." Jack persisted, brushing short strands of brown hair back from her face. Her eyes opened blearily, not really taking in his face. 

"Jack?" 

"Thank god." He muttered as Rapunzel sat up, her hand reaching up to clutch at her head. 

"My head hurts." She whispered. Then she took in her surroundings, looking from Hiccup to Jack to Merida with wide eyes. Her pupils dilated and before Jack or Merida could say a word Rapunzel was out of the car and running awkwardly around it to the driver’s side. 

Jack and Merida followed and watched as Rapunzel leaned through the hole where the driver’s side window used to be. She tried the door to no avail before shaking Hiccup’s shoulder. 

He didn’t move. 

Merida watched the smoke curl up from the mangled engine. “We’ve got to get him out. Jack, help me.” They crawled back in through Rapunzel’s side and unbuckled Hiccup’s seatbelt, tugging him by the shoulders out of the timebomb of a vehicle. He didn’t stir once as they pulled him out of the car and laid him several feet away on the pavement. 

Rapunzel collapsed beside him, taking in his injuries. He, like Rapunzel, had a nasty crack along the center of his forehead. Blood all but obscured his features, his eyes closed and wet with red. This was not, however, the most disturbing of Hiccup’s injuries. 

Pulled free from the mustang, Merida could now see that Hiccup’s left leg was badly broken. She wasn’t sure how much of his foot was intact. How they’d pulled him out with such an injury, Merida couldn’t fathom. Perhaps it was adrenaline or panic. But what worried her was that in all that movement he hadn’t stirred once. 

Rapunzel, despite having been exhausted, intoxicated, and having sustained a head injury, looked terribly alert, her eyes taking in Hiccup’s condition. 

"Jack, call 911. Looks like whoever hit us took off. Who knows where they’ll be by now." Merida said, venom in her voice. If she ever found who did this in the pitch black of night, she’d probably kill them. 

Jack took to dialing without argument as Rapunzel began tending to Hiccup’s wounds. 

"I think his foot’s been crushed. And his leg is definitely broken."She said, pulling back a layer of ripped linen to reveal Hiccup’s exposed leg. 

What lie underneath was even worse than Merida had anticipated. Layers of skin and muscle were ripped away, exposed bone visible in the dim light of the streetlamps. Blood soaked his trousers so that they were blacker than black. Merida resisted the urge to vomit and instead focused on Hiccup’s face, wiping the blood from his eyes and cheeks. Under all that she could see her friend again. 

A sudden fear gripped her and she pressed her ear to his chest, fingers threading against layers of cloth to find his heart. Where was it? Could she hear it? What if it wasn’t there? 

But then her fear settled. Yes. There it was. His heartbeat. Quiet but steady. He was alive. Relief flooded through her so powerfully: it was unlike anything she’d ever felt and she hoped never to feel it again. 

When she lifted her head Rapunzel was ripping off strips of her dress with her teeth. The lovely lavender material was already soaked with her blood and Hiccup’s. The wound on her head was still bleeding but she didn’t seem to be phased. Merida watched, a little awed, as the brunette wound the material around Hiccup’s leg to staunch some of the bleeding. There was a determined look in her eye that Merida had never seen—but there were also tears, streaming unhindered down her face. Salt mixing with blood and dirt, her fair skin a macabre mask of grief. 

Jack returned, his phone held up to his ear. “The ambulance is on the way.” He crouched next to Merida, his free hand reaching out to rest against her shoulder. “Mer, are you alright?” 

Merida looked up, surprised at the question. Could he not see Hiccup’s horrid state before him? Could he not see the blood and tears running down Rapunzel’s face. Why on earth would such a question be a priority? 

Then she realized it must have been the expression on her face. The fear. The same expression she’d worn a million times before when the world became too much for her to handle. 

It disgusted her. She felt a boiling rage rise up in her chest. How could she allow herself such stupid crippling fear with her friends in such a state? How could she let them be strong while she could feel nothing but panic? It was ridiculous. She felt her face transform into bitter certainty. 

"I’m fine. Let’s just make sure Hiccup’s gonna be okay." 


	45. Chapter 45

Rapunzel didn’t know where she was. 

When she awoke nothing felt right. Her head throbbed dully and her tongue felt like acid, as if she’d vomited very recently. Her head swam with confusion, her limbs heavy and pulsing with pain. She registered the bed beneath her back and the papery hospital gown that she was certain she hadn’t put on herself. Where was she and how had she gotten here? Nothing made sense. Where had she been before? She couldn’t remember. 

Then it all came crashing down on her with perfect clarity. The accident. The lights. Her screams. Waking up to find Hiccup passed out and covered in blood. The rush of adrenaline. The sound of sirens. And then the quiet comforting thrum of tires rolling over pavement.

Her eyes snapped open in total panic and she shot up in bed, her breath coming out in short terrified gasps. Her eyes scanned the dim hospital room, the tears starting fresh and unbidden down her cheeks. Where were Jack and Hiccup and Merida? The movement made her dizzy. She felt gauze on her forehead and an IV in her arm. But none of that really mattered. What mattered most was finding her friends. 

Her eyes searched the room frantically and for a very brief moment Rapunzel didn’t register that anyone else was in the room. But after a second, after her eyes and mind adjusted to consciousness, she took in a snoozing Jack in the chair next to her bed. He wore the same clothes he’d been wearing hours earlier, the lilac material of his vest now dyed a vicious red. The sleeves of his dress shirt were rolled up and his hands were stained with blood, grease, and dirt. He was pale, exhausted, and the streaks down his face made it clear he’d been crying at some point. 

Rapunzel flooded with relief and without thinking was out of bed and embracing her friend so tightly she was certain she was probably suffocating him. She ignored the clatter the IV made as it was roughly pulled across the tiled floor. Jack jumped at the contact but didn’t waste time in returning the hug. Half in his lap, they sat like that for a long immeasurable moment, soaking each other in. Rapunzel was trembling and the tears wouldn’t seem to stop but she couldn’t let go. 

When she finally did loosen her grip it was only to lean back and kiss him like she’d never kissed anyone before. Hard and terrified and desperate—an edge that tasted like a million thank gods. Rationally, she knew it was a reaction to what they’d just been through. She knew they might react very differently when the sun rose and the world started to take focus again. But all she could think about was that they were alive and there was a moment half between a laugh and a scream that she’d been convinced otherwise. 

They broke away, breathing hard. Jack’s hand gripped the back of her neck, his arm around her waist so tightly that any other time she would have found it uncomfortable. Especially given that there was very little fabric between them. But this was not any other time. 

"Where are Merida and Hiccup?" She asked evenly, forehead against his. 

Jack pulled back and once more Rapunzel was hit with reality. The wounds to Hiccup’s head and leg. The look on Jack’s face gave her pause and the fear crept in all over again. 

"Merida’s been arguing with the police for the last half hour. Her parents are here and yours are outside too. Stoick is on his way. And North is bringing Emma. The police want to know if Hiccup was drinking. The tox screening will tell the truth, but that won’t come back for awhile. The cops seem to want to blame the accident on us." A note of disgust in his tone. 

This was all unsettling news but it wasn’t the news she was looking for. And he knew that. 

He sighed, freeing one of his hands from her waist and rubbing a spot between his eyes. “Hic’s… Hiccup’s in a coma.” He struggled with the words, just on the precipice of tears. “They wouldn’t tell us much for a long time. Even in the ambulance after you passed out. And we won’t know anything about his leg for a couple of hours. They don’t know the full extent of the damage.” 

"Do they…" She started, wanting to ask the question but afraid of the answer. "Do they know when he’ll wake up?" 

Jack’s expression quivered and Rapunzel already knew the answer to her question. They didn’t know if Hiccup WOULD wake up. 

The tears welled quickly, obscuring her vision completely. They spilled out in a torrent. Her whole body dissolved into trembling, though she didn’t make a sound. Her head dropped to Jack’s shoulder and she curled into a ball, her arms tightly tangled around his neck. He was the only real and solid thing she had to hold on to at the moment and it was all she could do not to completely fall apart. 

Fingers curled painfully into the material of his shirt, she cried like she’d never cried before—and she’d had plenty of moments by now where tears had consumed her. This was different. This was a different sort of fear, one that she realized her friends must have experienced when she’d been dragged up the stairs so many months ago. Never knowing if she’d return. 

She cried for a long time with Jack brushing long fingers through her hair. He trembled as well and she realized that he was barely holding it together. They were terrified and it seemed that neither of them, no matter how good they were at making the best of any situation, could seem to find a way out. 

It was Jack who arose first and brought her back from the pit of despair. He sucked in a loud breath, stilling the quaking in his chest. Then he spoke: “I should go get some ice.”

Rapunzel sat back, confused. 

"Ice?" 

"Yeah. Or maybe a bucket of water. Some live spiders. Give Toothless some catnip and set him loose; that might do the trick." 

"Do what trick?" 

A pause.

"Wake HIccup up." 

Another long and terrible pause. They stared at each other, as if trying to decide if he was being serious. 

Then Rapunzel broke out in laughter. Tears still dripped down her cheeks, but the trembling stopped and for that moment despair slipped away. It was what she needed and it was that moment that reminded her that she’d been so very lucky to find friends like them. They wouldn’t leave her. She wouldn’t let them. It had been that way from the beginning. Hadn’t Hiccup said as much himself? 

"I don’t think that’s going to work." She replied with a small chuckle. 

"Not if we don’t try." A cheeky smile. 


	46. Chapter 46

Jack barely left Hiccup’s side. 

The nurses tried, time and time again, to get the three teenagers to leave, go home and rest proper-like in their own beds, but they would not budge. One sympathetic nurse did, however, allow them access to a hospital shower. Their parents brought them clothes to change into and so they stayed for several days just waiting for their friend to wake up. 

Rapunzel was discharged not long after they’d been admitted, though she hadn’t since left the hospital. Their parents had tried very hard to get them to leave, but nothing worked. They soon learned that separating the teens was futile. 

Though they never left Hiccup’s side save bathroom breaks and trips to the cafeteria, most of their time was spent asleep. More than once Jack returned from the cafeteria to find Rapunzel curled against Hiccup’s side or Merida with her head resting atop his still hand. The girls had been unnaturally quiet. 

And, of course, Stoick was there. An immovable statue, he remained awake and sentinel over the four teens. His expression had been hard and stony since he’d arrived that night to find his son comatose and bloody. Jack had been afraid that Stoick would blame them for what happened to Hiccup. He’d worried that he would ask them to leave, banish them forever from Hiccup’s sight. 

But he hadn’t. Instead, when he’d walked in to find Rapunzel crying and clutching his son’s hand, when he’d walked in to Merida screaming at a police officer to back off her friend because he didn’t do anything wrong, he’d merely placed a hand on the officers back and the man left. He’d taken Rapunzel’s hand and patted it awkwardly and then he sat in the open chair next to Hiccup’s bed. Not once did he speak. And his eyes never left Hiccup. 

But days turned into a week and finally their parents all agreed it was time to get back to school. Time to start living life again. So the King’s and Dunbroch’s and North all told them to say their goodbyes—they could visit as much as they wanted after school—because it was time to go home. 

And so they went. 

And school was a torment because Jack could not focus on exams while his best friend lay unresponsive in a bed miles away. But he had to remind himself that Hiccup would be pissed with him when he woke up and found out Jack had failed his tests, so he did his best, throwing himself into work because that’s what Hiccup would have done. 

And every afternoon he and the girls would pick up Emma and go to the hospital where they would tell each other stories, read off notes from Hiccup’s classes (because he would hate to be left behind) because they read somewhere that people in comas could still hear what you were saying. And Emma left him sneaky kisses to the cheek and love notes that only read “get well soon.” And they played games and caught Hiccup up on the school gossip (even though he WAS the school gossip) and Rapunzel bought him flowers and teddy bears so that even if he woke up when they weren’t around he would know they’d been there and he was loved. 

And every afternoon and every evening, when they came and went, Stoick was there. Silent and sentinel. Looking ten years older and grayer but somehow softer than he ever had. 

Two weeks later, with graduation approaching at the speed of light, things were starting to look grim. And the doctor’s were asking “those” questions. They always asked the kids to leave when they spoke to Stoick about these things and naturally they listened at the door. But this time they ordered the three to the cafeteria. One of the nurses even handed them a twenty dollar bill and said they should get whatever they wanted. 

So they’d gone and sat at a cafeteria table with several packages of chocolate snack cakes laid out before them. They twitched and squirmed at the table, Merida nibbling disinterestedly on their haul and looking like she might burst out of her skin. Rapunzel merely toyed with a stub of brown hair on her neck and watched people pass them by. 

Jack, however, couldn’t stop tapping his fingers. They drummed a staccato rhythm against the linoleum tabletop, mimicking the terrifying rise and fall of his heart. Twenty minutes passed in utter silence, each of them clinging to it for dear life. Finally, Jack had had enough. He stood abruptly, his chair scraping against the tiled floor. Merida and Rapunzel looked up at him, surprised and waiting for him to speak. To explain. 

"I have to… Go to the bathroom." Jack stated awkwardly, doing a doubletake to the hallway before stepping away from the table and beginning to march in the direction of the bathrooms. 

When he left the table he had fully intended on going to the bathroom. It was one of those default activities that gave you something to do when you could literally think of nothing else. It was built in to waste time (usually during boring classes in school). So it seemed like a logical option. He could deal with his own silence, but not theirs. Together, the weight and reality of the situation was going to drive him mad. 

Even after everything they’d been through, Jack realized he wasn’t prepared to lose another person. He couldn’t do it. He’d lost so much already. His mother, his father, years of his life with his sister. He couldn’t lose Hiccup. He couldn’t do it. It would be the end of him. He’d come back from so much but could he come back from this? Could Merida? Could Rapunzel? He’d done well thus far—keeping them together. But this experience was too much for a bunch of eighteen year old misfits. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t right. Hiccup, Jack realized, was the best of them. He was the one everyone knew would go off and do great things and never be deterred by anything. He wouldn’t crumble. It should have been him, driving the car. Jack should have been driving. It should have been him because the world was so much stronger and better with Hiccup in it. 

And who among them would miss Jack Frost, the child without a face, without a past, without an identity. 

Jack felt himself drifting shakily back toward Hiccup’s room. He bypassed the bathrooms and was in the elevator before he realized what he was doing. Trembling and cold, something altogether unusual for him, he found himself walking ghost-like through the halls of the hospital. Holding his breath against the smell of cleaning solution and disease. His nerves were on fire, muscles taut and stressed. It should have been him if should have been him it should have been him. 

And then he was outside Hiccup’s door, a measured step from intruding on the silence. 

And then something stopped him. A terrible pause. A wave of impenetrable guilt. How could he think such things? Hiccup would never think such things. Shame washed over him and he slumped against the wall next to the door and breathed a terrible sigh of relief. He was being a total idiot. Business as usual. 

That’s when he heard it. The soft sobs trickling through the door. His body froze and he couldn’t help himself as he leaned over to peer through the tiny window into the room. 

Stoick sat slumped over Hiccup’s bed, his big hands running through tufts of unruly brown hair. Tears ran big and full down his cheeks, soaking his beard and the linens below. He muttered in pained whispers that Jack could just barely hear through the door. “Hiccup, you can’t leave me. I know I haven’t been the father you needed. I’ve been selfish. That’s what I tried to tell you the other night—I can’t afford to send you to those schools you applied for. I want to, Hic. You’re so smart and I’m so proud. I didn’t get it before. You’re so much stronger than me, son.”

A terrible pause. A suffocating heave of his chest. 

"You were right. I’ve never gotten over your mom. But you did. You were so strong for me, Hiccup. And that’s why you’ve gotta come back to me. I won’t make it without you. I’m not as strong as you are." Stoick said, leaning over and placing an uncharacteristic kiss to the boy’s forehead. 

Jack felt a twist in his stomach. The need to vomit or perhaps the need to cry. He realized he was intruding on a private moment but he felt himself hoping that Hiccup really could hear what they were all saying while he slept. Because if he could, maybe he would wake up. 


	47. Chapter 47

Words had little meaning for Hiccup anymore. 

Voices however, meant everything. Words he couldn’t recognize, but voices. They meant something. They streaked through his mind like little pinpoints of light, sometimes in bright blues and reds and pinks, sometimes tinkling like bells or whistles. Sometimes the voices were deep and terrifying, harbingers of an end he dreaded and welcomed all at once. 

But most of them felt like home. Calling him back from the darkness and the abyss. He clawed at them, but felt he was only waiting for the right voice or the right moment to latch onto. Timing was everything after all. You had to make a big entrance. Someone had said that once upon a time, but he couldn’t remember who. 

The voices followed him into the darkness, as he knew they would. They would follow him through anything. He was a hapless leader, leading the way to a place he didn’t know the way to. He felt as if he was waiting for the voices to light the path as he wandered in the pitch black. They followed but they could not lead. That was not their place. And he knew that. But still he waited. 

Finally, in the darkness, the light of dawn crept up with a voice that was so familiar, he felt it in his bones. He felt certain he’d known that voice all his life. It was a voice that should have been his guide long ago but, like people young or old, lost it’s way. Hiccup was beginning to understand that now, lost in the abyss; that people don’t always find their way based on what level they achieve in life. Some people are always searching. And, Hiccup realized, he was very lucky. Because he’d found what he was looking for. 

Dawn did not wake him up. It took frustratingly longer than he would have liked to resurrect himself from that dark place beyond headlights and screaming and the crunch of metal and broken glass. It was a slow and painstaking process to regain the feeling from his fingertips to his toes. To remember where his head was in relation to his body. To revive the feeling in unused limbs and tongues and lungs and all those parts of him that couldn’t remember what it was like to have a pilot. 

But finally the dreams came, images to go with the voices that followed him into the dark. They were happy dreams, gentle reminders that Hiccup couldn’t remember even seconds after he relived them. And the voices became brighter and stronger, as if they were really there with him. He couldn’t tell if they were brighter or he was closer, closer to the edge, closer to dawn, closer to waking. 

When he finally did wake, he was surprised to find silence. He thought the silence would be alarming. That when he finally heard it, he would surely be dead. But something about the silence beyond his closed eyelids was comforting. It was a warm silence—accompanied by the gentle thrum of machines and air conditioning units. The soft inhale and exhale of breath. The distant tinkling sound of a phone ringing somewhere down the hall. Death couldn’t sound like this. There was no air conditioning in the afterlife. 

His eyes protested opening but he opened them nevertheless, sleepy seeds cracking and crackling, rolling off his face as he turned his head this way and that. The room came into focus. 

And there they were. The voices like stars in the sky. Little flames of blue and red and pink, slumped against a bench against the wall and slumbering soundly. They wore pajamas, Rapunzel with a get well teddy bear tucked under her arm. Her head on Jack’s shoulder, his head nodding over his chest, and Merida slumped across both their laps, a blanket over them all. The moon cast a white glow across them from the window and without thinking, Hiccup was smiling blearily at them across the room. 

His head turned, his strength waning and his stomach fighting against an inhuman hunger. In the chair next to his bed sat Stoick, eyes drooped and breath coming in evenly. Asleep. 

Hiccup cleared his throat; a difficult affair since he hadn’t used his vocal chords for several weeks. In fact, he couldn’t calculate how long he’d been lying in this bed. All he knew was that he felt one with it, as if he’d been unmade and remade here and the person lying there had never touched the ground before. 

His first words came out as an exhausted whisper. He wasn’t long for this world at the moment. He could feel sleep consuming him again, though this time he thought he might not be gone so long. He knew he’d wake up in the morning and they’d be waiting for him. He wouldn’t have to search in the dark anymore. He’d done that far too long. 

"Da-Dad." He called, his voice quiet and hoarse. He didn’t sound like himself, but he supposed that was okay. He wasn’t quite the same Hiccup anymore. He should sound different. "Dad." 

Stoick awoke with a little jump, his eyes red and bleary and searching the dark for the source of the voice. First he looked at Hiccup’s three friends, as if Jack might have been making a joke. But then his eyes drifted uncertainly and with not a little amount of terror to Hiccup. They fell on his son’s face and grew wide and then Stoick was crying and smiling. His face was full of crippling relief. “Hiccup.” 

"H-hey, Dad." A weak smile, eyelids drooping and drifting. His eyes couldn’t seem to focus on his father’s face. It was a blur of red and pink and moonlight. He lifted his fingers, all of them splayed out on one hand to show to Stoick. "Five more minutes." He muttered with a lazy smile. 

He heard a distant rumbling chuckle and felt the grasp of big hands on his own before he drifted back to sleep. 


	48. Chapter 48

"I told you I wanted Rapunzel to push my wheelchair." 

Hiccup’s voice was irritated and amused. He wore his poutiest expression as Merida wheeled him into his spot near the stage. She wore a satisfied smirk as she slapped his graduation cap onto his head and tousled his hair. He glared at her without remorse. 

"Yes, but Punz is too little to push you up that ramp for your valedictorian speech and I’m marginally closer to the stage." 

"By a few seats."

"You said you wanted one of us to wheel you onstage. This was what the administration agreed to." Merida laughed, perching herself on the arm of his wheelchair and draping an arm over his shoulder. The cast around his foot was impressive. He’d thus far had a couple of reconstructive surgeries and while the foot wasn’t going anywhere, it wouldn’t work quite the same as it used to. Modern science was good, but not that good. Once he was back on his feet again he’d certainly walk with a limp.

He didn’t seem to mind though. Hiccup had been uncharacteristically chipper lately. Merida suspected it had something to do with his newfound bond with his father. They still fought constantly, but Merida suspected it was because that was the only way Stoick knew how to show affection. And instead of Hiccup’s fights with his father ending with Hiccup crawling through her window, they usually ended with them ordering pizza and eating in total silence. It wasn’t a big step, but it was a step forward nevertheless. Stoick was trying and everyone could see it meant the world to Hiccup. 

Despite their accident, the police had decided the four of them weren’t delinquents. They were given a very stiff warning along with a couple of marks on their driver’s licenses, but no community service or jail time. They never did catch the people responsible though which unnerved Merida more than a little bit. 

Hiccup, unsurprisingly, had been awarded valedictorian, with Rapunzel close behind. Merida and Jack were in the middle 50% but they seemed pretty happy about it. 

Graduation was a dull affair, conducted with a bunch of sweaty teenagers in the gymnasium clothed entirely in black. Hiccup gave a very awkward commencement speech with lots of sarcasm, inspirational messages he’d stolen from the internet, and long pauses filled with uhhs and umms. Everyone laughed and clapped appropriately and seemed genuinely pleased he was there. A few of them really were and the others respected him nevertheless. 

Each of them walked (or rolled) up to receive their diploma, smiling for the cameras in the audience. Peppered with flashes and the occasional whoop of joy, the ceremony ended relatively quickly. The principal bid them good luck in the years to come and then, with a terrifying and unparalleled joy, the graduating class erupted in a scream for the ages. Graduation caps launched into the air, spinning end over end like confetti until they crested and came back to earth slowly, taking their sweet time. 

Because it was over. It was finally over. 

Merida caught her cap clumsily with one hand, dusting it off and clutching it to her chest with a sigh. Students milled around her laughing and patting each other on the backs, embracing each other and family members in the poor lighting of the gymnasium. 

Hiccup sat next to her, futilely trying to stretch over and recover his cap from the floor a foot away. Merida shook her head and laughed, reaching over to pick it up and place it back on his head. “You’re right handsome.” 

"Yeah, whatever." 

"Seriously. You look good in black. You should consider a goth phase." 

"Is that even still a thing? A goth phase?" 

"I don’t know but apparently we all had one at some point." Merida shrugged and sat in the chair next to him, waiting for their parents to descend the bleachers to them. She suspected there were embarassing family photos in her future. She couldn’t complain too much. Elinor’s treatments were quickly coming to an end and her doctor’s were optimistic that she’d be in remission very soon. As many curveballs as life had thrown her this year, everything seemed to be working out. 

She considered this wearing a blissful smile when Jack and Rapunzel appeared next to them, caps and diplomas in hand. “I can’t believe we did it!” Rapunzel cried out with glee, reaching over to hug both Merida and Hiccup with her trademark brilliant smile. 

"I can’t believe Jack made it." Merida muttered with a sneer. 

Jack chuckled. “You know, I was just about to say the same thing about you.” 

"Great minds think alike." Hiccup replied, glancing up to see their parents deep in conversation at the top of the bleachers. "Looks like we might be here for a while. The parents are talking to each other." 

"It’s weird." Merida muttered with a grimace, glaring up at Fergus and Elinor as they chatted animatedly with Stoick, North, and the Kings. 

"I think it’s nice." Rapunzel sat next to Merida, smoothing out her gown and the silky violet dress underneath. Jack sat next to her, an arm across the back of her seat. 

"To be fair, Punz, you think everything is nice." Jack leaned across her to stare up at the bleachers. 

"That is not true!" 

"It totally is." Merida quipped. "You never think badly of anyone. You’re a bloody saint." 

"I am not! I can think badly of people. Gothel is a real bitch, isn’t she?" She said it innocently and with such conviction you couldn’t help but believe she was telling the truth. 

The other three let out a surprised laugh. “That is the most vile thing you’ve ever said. I’m very proud.” Merida reached over to plant a kiss on Rapunzel’s cheek. The brunette blushed but smiled nevertheless. 

School was done and classes were over but sitting there together in their graduation robes, Merida felt sure they weren’t going anywhere. At least, in the figurative sense. She had no real way of knowing of course. If the last few weeks had taught her anything, it was that there was no way to predict what life would throw at you. But some things were in your control. They were things and people that were a part of your life because you chose it. And Merida had chosen well. Not that she’d really chosen. They’d chosen her. She couldn’t fathom why, only that she was glad they had. 

Laughing in their seats, none of them noticed Elinor raise her camera to her eyes. It would be weeks before the photos were printed and the four of them could see the images of them sitting together in all their candid gory, as intimately them as they would ever be. Embracing. Smiling. Laughing. Together. 

That’s the word that would always matter the most. 

Together. 


	49. Epilogue: Part One

The summer came and went and the four parted ways. 

True to her word, Rapunzel spent her first six months of freedom globetrotting through Europe. She spent a month in London, a month in Paris, and a month in Rome. In a short stint in Spain, she came across a con artist who stole her purse as well as several of her paintings. He later felt so guilty that he showed up at her apartment with all her belongings, a bouquet of flowers, and an invitation to have dinner with him. She’d hit him over the head with a frying pan and then taken him to the hospital where they’d hit it off much quicker than she’d expected. 

She and Eugene then spent the next six months traveling across the world together. Eugene got odd jobs to prove that he wasn’t going to life off her and she sold her paintings to prove she wouldn’t live off her parents. It was a modest living, but they seemed to enjoy it and Rapunzel was proud to say that she had a whole book full of new experiences that she never would have had if she’d never left her tower. 

Jack started classes at the community college and vowed to stay close to home for a while. While he wanted to see the world, as Rapunzel had, he wanted to reconnect with Emma more. The next few years of her life were big and he wanted to be a part of them. So he enrolled in childcare classes, got odd jobs babysitting and even worked at a life science camp every saturday for two months. 

He applied for January admittance to a local university and got in with a few scholarships. He still had to take out a few loans, but they weren’t so crippling that he’d be in debt for years to come. In the meantime, he taught Emma the ways of pranking (after all, he needed to create a legacy and naturally Emma was going to be his legacy). He got very close with Ana who, it turned out, was a couple years older than him and in her third year of college. She was in school to be a dentist, though that didn’t seem to stop her from becoming more and more colorful as time went on. 

Hiccup spent several months in physical therapy for his foot. He took a few online classes and worked on several engineering ideas and designs that he hoped would earn him a few scholarships when he applied again to his colleges of choice. He’d gotten in to his favorite universities but scholarships were another matter entirely. Stoick was a notorious giver around town and much of their disposable income was gone to charity. Hiccup didn’t mind much though. Stoick was a well-loved mayor. And he could see why. 

He and his father spent much more time together. They even began to bond over several engineering changes Hiccup suggested to improve the functionality of Stoick’s cars. Stoick was evening beginning to cozy up to Toothless who spent all his time trying to nurse Hiccup back to health. The vivacious black cat was insanely protective of Hiccup and could usually be seen perched on the teens shoulder or purring in his lap. Hiccup also took this opportunity to gain a little upper body strength and at the end of six months had an impressive set of biceps. 

Merida meanwhile went off to school and spent most of her time training. Her archery instructors were consistently awed by her abilities but were rather surprised when she announced that she wanted to cut back a little of her training time so that she could change her major to international politics. It shocked everyone when she got into class and she was actually quite compelling in seminars about international law, ethics, and economics. 

She also visited home often to see her brothers and parents. She spent as many weekends as possible with her mother, discussing her future and learning from her in as many ways as she could. While archery was one of her greatest loves, she was beginning to wonder if it was her true path. She even visited with Stoick a little to see what politics was like. However, at the end of the year she still hadn’t decided. But she had a lot of options and Elinor was nothing but supportive. 

A year passed with a few visits and skype calls, text messages and voicemails that occasionally went unanswered. It was months before the four of them were together again. And at the end of nine months, they weren’t sure things would ever be the same again.

But that was life wasn’t it? 


	50. Epilogue: Part Two

The silence was overwhelming. 

Silence had never been one of Rapunzel’s strong suits. She usually broke it with ease. But this time the tension in the air was as palpable as the humidity. Or perhaps it just WAS the humidity. It was hard to tell. She was trying very hard not to question it. Things were oddly different and oddly the same and she hadn’t quite gauged yet which of the two was winning out. 

She sat between Jack and Hiccup on the bench, her hands folded in her lap. A plastic princess crown sat awkwardly on her head, the tips of her once-again blonde hair brushing against her bare shoulders. Their park map was crushed between her hands and was, consequently, slick with sweat. 

Jack sat to her left, picking at something in his teeth with a studied air, his other arm stretched out on the back of the bench behind her. Hiccup on the other hand sat back to her right, his arms crossed over his chest. His face was painted orange like a tiger and it was beginning to run from the sweat collecting on his forehead. 

Merida sat next to Jack, leaning over her knees with her head propped on her fist. A mickey mouse hat sat askew on the top of her head.

Rapunzel was sure they all looked spectacularly miserable. The sun beat down on them unrelentingly, as if punishing them for their sins. 

"It’s all your fault." Merida muttered, though Rapunzel couldn’t tell who it was she was directing the comment to. 

Jack, however, knew exactly who Merida was referring to. 

"I told you we should have gone to Universal instead." 

"You got us kicked out of Frontierland. How do you get kicked out of Frontierland? There’s almost nothing there!" 

"Thunder Mountain is there." Rapunzel offered helpfully. 

"The point Mer is trying to make is that there is less material to cause havoc in Frontierland." Hiccup noted sagely, reaching over to gently uncurl the crinkled map from Rapunzel’s vice-like grip. 

"Frontierland has never met me." Jack supplied with a grin. 

"You’re insufferable." Merida spat, never taking her eyes off a lonely stroller that looked to have been abandoned by the bus stop long ago. 

"You’re not so sufferable yourself." 

"It’s not a family vacation without a little sibling squabble." Hiccup noted, unfolding the map and beginning to examine the layout of parks across the entirety of Disney World. "Something about this place just feels wrong to me." 

"I like it." Rapunzel chirped happily. 

"It’s the happiest place on earth." Merida answered, finally sitting up and snatching the map from Hiccup’s hands. 

"Could’ve fooled me." Jack replied. Merida answered by punching him in the arm. Jack barked a laugh and shook his head. He’d gotten used to the abuse by now. 

He’d worried that things would be weird when they reunited. Things were different, certainly. Rapunzel had a reformed con artist boyfriend, Hiccup was going to disappear to college soon, Merida was a responsible adult, and even Jack seemed to have a bright future ahead of him. He had a family. 

Of course, even now he had to remind himself that the three people next to him were his family too. Not just Emma and North. Sometimes he forgot. He’d been alone for so long. And perhaps it was their time apart that made him feel like that same kid who met them in a garage. 

"So where are we going, princess?" Jack asked, flicking Merida’s Mickey ear. She stuck out her tongue at him without looking away from the map. 

"We could go to blizzard beach. That’s more Jack’s scene anyway." Hiccup proposed with a knowing smile. "Though, of course, I’m partial to heading over to Universal for the Dragon Challenge."

"Your nerd is showing, Hic." Merida muttered, tapping her chin thoughtfully.  

"I’m up for anything. I like this place. Kind of feels like home." Rapunzel said wistfully, reaching over to the boys to grip their hands. The placid smile on her face was the same as ever, like they’d seen it a million nights before—and they had. 

Hiccup considered their intertwined fingers, examining the small tanned hand against his paler one. The other three seemed uncertain about the foundation their friendship had tested over the last year. They’d been apart so long, things were bound to change. They couldn’t see that things were still the same though. Not yet, at least. 

He could see it. They just needed the right push. 

"That’s because it is home." He replied, squeezing Rapunzel’s hand. She glanced back at him in the blinding summer sun with a knowing look and a slight smile, her lips twitching. 

She knew what he meant. 

At that, she stood up and twirled in front of them, clapping her hands together. She would always be the ray of sunshine to lighten the mood. Hiccup knew that even if she forgot sometimes. 

"Why don’t we go to Epcot! We can go to Norway and Hic can get something for his dad. I can go to Germany to get something for my mom. Mer can get something from the UK. And Jack can get something for North in Canada!" 

"North is from Canada?" Hiccup leveled a surprised look at Jack. 

Jack nodded and let out a deep sigh. “He often speaks of missing the moose and the reindeer.” 

"Jack, I hate to break this to you, but I think North has a secret identity…" Merida began, placing a dramatic hand on Jack’s shoulder. 

He leveled a glare. “I know the joke you’re trying to make and it’s not funny.” 

"It’s a little bit funny." 

"Okay, guys, but what do you think? We’re getting back to our roots! World travelers!" Rapunzel clapped her hands to get their attention once more. 

Merida turned her eyes to the little blonde with a smile. She stood and threw her arm over Rapunzel’s shoulders and pecking her on the cheek. “You’re such a diplomat. I don’t know what we’d do without you.” 

"Now we know who SHOULD have gone into international law." Hiccup quipped and stood up stretching. 

"I learned from the best." Merida replied, inclined her head at a blushing Rapunzel. 

"Guys, please." 

Jack stood. “No, she’s right. You were meant to rule, oh great Homecoming and Prom Queen.” He lowered himself into a bow and arose again with a cherubic smile. Rapunzel shook her head, laughing. 

"I missed you guys!" 

"You’ve said that. At least twenty times since Saturday." Hiccup pointed out. 

"Doesn’t make it any less true." She declared, hooking her arm through Jack’s elbow and beginning to escort them all towards the shuttles. 

Merida followed slowly at first, her smile growing with each passing remark her friends made. Each step was a familiar rhythm, like riding a bike. You never really forgot. The first few moments were weird, but after a minute things felt natural, like they were supposed to be. Like fate. 

"Wait for me!" Merida called after a second, breaking into a sprint and tackling an unsuspecting Hiccup. He caught her with a little surprise and before he could put up any argument she was riding piggy back, calling orders left and right. This way noble steed. That way noble steed. Don’t walk into the road noble steed. 

Boarding the shuttle to Epcot, they couldn’t help thinking about how far they’d come. How they’d grown as people. Learned hard life lessons and easy ones. Learned to cope. Learned to trust. Learned to forgive. Learned to forget. Fallen in and out of love and back into love all over again. How they’d discovered that being alone during the good times still wasn’t as good as having their friends in the bad times. But, of course, having them during the best times was better than anything in the world. 

Before, life had felt like a prison. And somehow, someway, in finding each other, they’d found their escape. 

**Author's Note:**

> If any of my current readers happen to see this, yes it is I, saraoverlandfrost. I decided to try out AO3 and will be posting Escape chapters gradually on here every Thursday. Behind what I post on my tumblr, of course.


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